


Dewdrops

by Akoia



Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Ninja, Original Clans, Shinra Bansho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2019-10-06 15:00:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17347340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akoia/pseuds/Akoia
Summary: Aubrey made a wish when she was 10 years old. She wished that she could be transported to the Naruto world as the 'amazing' character she created. Ten years later, she, unfortunately, gets her wish. Now with powers beyond her understanding, she navigates the world of her childhood dreams, without the rose-colored glasses that made it seem like that would be a perfect life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiered by Dreaming of Sunshine by Silver Queen on FF . net
> 
> I found a folder of the old OC's I made when I was a little bean, they were ALL bad but they all mostly had thought out stories. So I've decided that I'm going to write those stories and see if I can't salvage the remains of my childhood creativity. This was the only OC I had that wasn't an Uchiha. Lol.
> 
> Enjoy the ride!

In the year 2009, I was ten years old. That was around that time, my sister had gotten me into all her shows. Among them, was Naruto. She was three years older than me, and her access to the internet brought us the idea to make our own characters. They were bad, poorly thought out, and entirely cliche. Bur from that experience, brought forth my first creation. Her name was Hitomi Fukumura. She was born into a clan that had a 'special Kekkei Genkai ™.' I was inspiered by my sister's newest manga 'Nabari no Ou.' The main character had the Shinra Bansho. An entity that had all of the world's knowledge. It seemed  _perfect_ for a setting like Naruto. I was so proud of Hitomi. My sister was  _far_  less impressed with her. I put her in a folder and forgot about her. I secretly wished I could be her.

Eventually, I stopped watching Naruto, I grew up and got to busy. I forgot all about Hitomi.

But on May 2nd, 2019 at approximately 900 hours, I got my wish.

* * *

 

The Fukumura clan rejoiced when the head of the clan had his second child, a daughter. Me. Four years earlier he'd had a son, my older brother Hikaru. I don't remember  _much_ about being a baby, my eyesight hadn't fully developed, and I could hardly understand what the people around me were saying. So I spent most of my time thinking about the life I'd left behind. The shitty nine to five, the apartment I'd been sharing with my best friend. I thought at first that I was in a coma. But that didn't explain why people were lifting me up and carrying me around. Or why I was being bottle fed. Or even why there were people who...cleaned up after me. There is very little dignity in being an infant.

What struck me as the strangest about my situation, and what also made me more or less accept that I was someone  _new,_ was the language. I remember a boy, with chubby cheeks and dark green hair, had put his face right next to mine. He smiled and gently pinched one of my cheeks. " _Kawaī imōto waanatadesu,"_ is what he said to me. Which I was able to translate as something about a cute younger sister. But, when I thought about it, the only language the three people that tended to me spoke was Japanese. I thought that I'd just been reborn into a Japanese home. If only it was that simple.

My eyesight started to get better when I was about a month old. That was also when I noticed something... _stirring_ inside my body. Within the very core of my body, I felt an energy that warmed me beginning to grow. Sometimes I would cry because it  _itched._ My new parents took me to the doctor, and while I couldn't understand what was being said, there was one world that  _did_ stick out to me. 'Chakara.' I didn't understand the significance of that, I assumed wrongly, that my parents had just taken me to some kind of new age doctor. But the feeling kept growing, and it was almost worse than teething.

After around two months I noticed other strange things. First, was how my brother would run around the house with his arms stretched out behind him. Our mom would shout at him. "No running in the house!" He'd stop, wait for her to leave the room, and keep running around. He'd come up to my crib and excitedly tell me that he was going to be a shinobi one day. I thought that maybe he was just a nerd. Then I noticed the clothing my dad would wear. A green vest with pockets all over it. But most striking was the forehead protector that he wore around his neck. Gleaming bright and proudly taken care of, the symbol of Konoha was etched into the metal. Then sometimes he'd talk to my mom, asking her if she was ever going to 'return to work.' Then she'd pick me up and kiss my face happily, saying that she'd go back to work when Hikaru and I were both in the academy.

It is an indescribable feeling, to be in one world, and then to suddenly be in another. I felt as if I'd fallen into a void. I'd gazed into the abyss and the abyss had gazed back. My parents started to worry about me again when I stopped making any sounds at all. I gazed emptily into open space. My mom took me to the hospital but the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me. Then, just as quickly as I'd drawn into myself, I pushed out. I screamed, and I cried, and I threw my toys at my brother who had no idea what was happening.

It took me a few weeks to calm down. I wanted to live. That would  _never_ happen if I let fear consume me. My parents were  _very_ relieved when I stopped my screaming. I started plotting, deciding, planning. There were two options open to me. One, I could be a civilian. My brother could carry on the tradition of shinobi in our family. I was sure that my parents would be disappointed, but at the very least I wouldn't be killed in some horrible way in the middle of a forest somewhere. However, if I was  _just_ a civilian, there was no guarantee that I would survive the numerous attacks on Konoha. So I could be a ninja instead. But, the idea of fighting to the death sent my nerves on edge. But at least I'd have the chance to defend myself if I really had too. That's honestly how my choice was made. I couldn't stand the thought of being helpless. Of being at the mercy of someone else. Because shinobi didn't show mercy. Not the ones who'd be attacking the villages, anyways.

So I'd be a ninja. A kunoichi. A defender of my home, my family, and myself. I didn't just want to be average, either. I wanted to be the  _best._ Average or mediocre ninja didn't get to live very long. This was a very 'dog eat dog, only the strong survive' world. So I had to be... _strong._  But you couldn't just be strong you had to work at it, constantly. But I couldn't do anything while I was a baby bound to her crib.

So I tried to walk. But I didn't have the muscle mass capable of holding me, such was the plight of three-month-old me. I kept trying anyway. I saw my mom standing in the doorway one morning, watching me struggle with my own limbs. I could make out a slight smile on her face as she watched. She walked into my room and picked me up, pressing me against her chest. "My strong little girl," she whispered, rocking me back and forth. When dad came home, she told him what I was doing.

dad put me in my high-chair and grinned. "Ah, I knew she was special," he said while he put my bib around my neck. He nuzzled my nose and grinned. "I'll rub you in Uchiha's face when you show his kid up."

"Daichi!" mom scolded him. "Don't use your child to get one over on your old teammate!"

"Papa is petty," my brother said.

My dad groaned and ruffled my brother's hair roughly. "No! You're supposed to say your old man is the coolest!"

Mom laughed quietly and served dinner. I was being fed nasty baby food, and my poor dad had to wrangle me like a squirming fish to get me to eat it. He tricked me, the devil, by tickling my sides and making me laugh. He shoved a soft spoon into my mouth. I immediately started crying. The soul of an adult and the brain of a child was a complicated combination.

"No! Wait!" Dad wiped my face and looked at mom with a panicked expression. She covered her mouth and shook her head, shoulders shaking. Her laughter was infectious and Hikaru started laughing too. "Come on guy, this isn't funny!"

There was a burst of chakra, so blindly evil that I thought I might have actually died on the spot. It washed over all of us and Hikaru dropped his chopsticks and looked at our parents with all-consuming terror. Mom and dad both were quiet until an alarm blared. They looked at each other for a second before nodding slowly. Dad walked over to our cupboards and grabbed a bag and handed it to Hikaru who was wiping tears off of his face.

"I guess I'm returning to active duty then," mom said, walking away from the table.

Dad dropped to his knees and held Hikaru's shoulders tightly. "Listen to me, this is very important. I need you to take your sister, and follow the ninja who are directing the civilians towards the evacuation points."

"What about you and mom?!" Hikaru asked, standing up from the table.

"We have to go help," dad said, picking me up from my high-chair. "That alarm was a call for all able-bodied ninja in the village to go and help. That means-" There was an explosion. It rocked the very foundation of our house and cut our power. Outside, people began to scream loudly and footsteps could be heard from our clan compound. Dad handed me to Hikaru and pushed him towards the door. "Don't worry, little man, we'll come back to get you when it's over." Hikaru opened his mouth to argue and our dad shook his head, closing his eyes in genuine sorrow. "No! Go, please...please go."

Hikaru stood still for a moment before tightening his grip on me and sprinting out the door. It was total chaos in the streets. People were screaming, crying, running. The Fukumura compound was on fire and people were running over each other to get away from the danger. One of our older cousins was pointing the civilians of the clan towards the safest exit. He saw Hikaru carrying me, struggling to stay on his feet between the pushing and panic. He moved and grabbed us, putting us in the care of our great aunt Kagome. She held me and took Hikaru by the hand.

If our compound was bad, the village was a nightmare. It was  _hell._ There were buildings being thrown over by waves of chakra. People were laying dead in the streets while their traumatized relatives wept over them. The shinobi were doing their best to keep us in an organized line, to keep us safe. The Uchiha Clan's police force made up most of our protectors. There were even a few I saw jumping in to save people from falling rubble.

We made it into the Hokage mountain and my brother took me from our aunt and sat with the other members of our clan. He was crying quietly, as were most people. He held me against his chest, rubbing my back in the soothing motion that he'd seen our mom do whenever I woke up cranky from a nap. "It's okay," he said with a few hiccups. "They'll be back soon," he whispered. "And hug us both."

They weren't. We never saw them again.

Three weeks later, when Konoha had recovered some, four-month-old me, was held in my crying brother's arms as he held a picture of our parents. We were dressed in black. We'd just returned from the funeral of the fourth Hokage and the other ninja that had died during the nine-tails attack. Now we stood in our newly repaired clan compound for the funeral for the clansmen that we'd lost. And we'd lost a lot. 61% of our entire clan had died in a single night.

Afterward, the struggle for succession began. Clan politics were  _complicated._ Fukumura clan politics, I felt, were especially so. Our dad had no living brothers or sisters and our grandparents were all gone. Our mother was from outside the clan, so none of her siblings were able to inherit the position of clan head. In fact, the only people who were actually in the direct line were my brother and I. Naturally, the clan elders - or what was left of them - didn't want a boy who'd  _just_ turned five to be leading their clan. So someone would have to lead as a regent until Hikaru turned fifteen. So, great aunt Kagome was picked. Within a month she had died of a heart attack.

So our distant cousin Akira took the position next. It was so strange, he'd been walking down the street and a beam from a building reconstruction had fallen and killed him.

Next was Haruto. Killed by stray Kunai on the training field.

Then Kana. Killed by poison.

Itsaku. Died in his sleep.

Mio. Strangulation.

Souta. Suicide.

It got bad enough that Hikaru and I were placed under 'protective custody' by a shinobi security detail that Kagome had hired before her death. Smart woman, she'd paid them a four-year advance. My bother, my sweet Hikaru, had to be  _escorted to school_ every day because someone was obviously trying to kill off anyone who stood in the way of 'their' inheritance. My bother and I must have been next on the list, considering everyone was too afraid to step up as the regent. Sometimes, I wonder if the shinobi who guarded us felt like their mission was 'extream babysitting.'

The Fukumura clan remained leaderless for a year, our clan was in economic ruin. Before the attack, we made most of our money in two ways. Shinobi mission taxes and outside goods trading. Now, because there was no one to approve anything, and because a majority of the shinobi in our clan had died, our resources had dried up. So the clan elders decided that they had no other choice. The entire clan, as well as the two Jonin that were on security detail that week, took a trip to the center of the woods, where a single, unassuming door waited. One of the elders opened the door, and we all filed inside to a dark, damp chamber. I'm sure it must have scared the hell out of our guards.

There was an oil lamp in the center of the room, surrounded by a binding seal. They all performed a jutsu and a white mist emerged from the lamp, everyone stepped back in fear as an overwhelming  _dark_  chakra filled the small space. The elders begged this creature from the lamp to tell them who the murderer was, so we could have a leader. It laughed quietly, speaking in our minds. If they wanted information,  _it_ wanted a host. A host who could walk, and talk, and experience life. So they chose me. That night, the Shinra Bansho was sealed inside of me, and the killer was revealed and arrested. The next regent was our third cousin Yuuto Fukumura, and life went back to normal. For everyone  _but_  me.

* * *

"What is it that you desire, more than anything else?" A soft voice asked me. I was...confused. I was floating in empty space as words flashed around me. I looked forward and a white shape had its back to me. Hair long, down to their waist, hands at their sides, long pointed fingernails that were painted black. "What...do you desire, Hitomi Fukumura?" It stopped and hummed quietly. "No, that's not quite right yet, is it." It shook its head and turned to look at me. Its red eyes looked deep into my very soul. "What do you wish for, Aubrey Shepherd?"

I looked down at my hands, and my breath caught in my throat when I realized that I could see right through them. "Who are you?" I asked. " _What_ are you?!"

It chuckled and turned back around, pushing its long hair out of its face. "You should know, you created me...or rather, you  _copied_  me from somewhere else. I'll admit, I enjoy the free reign over my abilities in this incarnation of my being. It's a lot more fun."

"What are talking about, I didn't-"

"We don't really have time for that," it said, snapping its fingers and sealing my mouth shut. "You said once, that you wanted to be strong, do you still want that?" It asked.

I paused and nodded. "Yes, I want to be strong. Strong enough to survive."

"Is that your wish?" I asked.

"Yes," I said with a determined nod.

"Very well, then together, the two of us shall survive." It turned back around and grinned at me, showing off its rows of razor-sharp teeth. "Don't think I'm just going to  _hand_ you the power you want though. I still expect you to keep things interesting."

"Then what help are you really?"

Its shoulders shook gently. "Oh, my dear, I am the greatest asset you will ever have. Use my powers well, little moon."

Then I woke up.

* * *

I was three years old before anything happened that reminded me of  _where_ I was. The entire village was in a joyous tizzy.

"Why's everyone so happy?" I asked Hikaru, moving his homework out of his reach. He glared at me and pulled it closer to him. " _Aniki_! Tell me, please!" I grabbed his sleeve and pulled it until he paid closer attention to me.

He sighed and tucked his homework into his folder and turned to me with a smile. "Konoha and Kumo finally finished the negotiations of the peace treaty. You won't remember, because you hadn't been born yet, but we were in the middle of the third shinobi world war. It ended the year before you were born, but we were still having active fighting with Kumo. Up until about seven months ago, anyway." He pat me on the head. "So write it on your calendar, the 27th of December, we witness history. Also, you'll be tested on this, for sure, when you go to the Academy.

Oh right, how could I forget?

Hinata was in danger.


	2. Chapter 2

I had no plan. I left the clan compound, dodging the watchful eyes of the adults who were rushing around. They were all preparing for the festival that was taking place later that night. I walked into the streets of Konoha and marveled at the decorations that were being strung up on the buildings. They'd look beautiful at night. I shook my head, mind still on the goal. I needed-

Three Kumo shinobi walked through the streets. They looked no more suspicious than any other Shinobi who walked the streets. They looked young, maybe max fifteen or sixteen years old. They noticed me watching them and waved hesitantly. I turned and ran away to hide behind the corner of a building. I poked my head out and saw them looking between each other in confusion.

 _'What is your plan, exactly?'_ A voice whispered inside my mind.

I gasped and spun around, but there was no one behind me. I sighed and rubbed my face aggressively with the heel of my palms.  _'This isn't going to become a habit, will it?'_ I asked, sitting down against a wall, and pulling my knees up to my chest.  _'I can't have a voice in my head, people will think I'm crazy.'_

 _'Maybe you already are,"_ it laughed.  _'But seriously, I'm curious, what are you going to do? If you just_ say  _Hinata Hyuga is being targeted, people will just think you're being a pest. A bratty kid.'_

I thought for a moment. It was, I doubted that anyone would believe me, not right away. Then when the kidnapping was brought to light, there was a possibility that unwanted attention would be leveled at me. They'd ask a lot of questions that I didn't want to answer.  _'I know_ where  _she's going to be kidnapped, but not_ when.' I stood back up, thoughts running through my mind. Hinta Hyuga was turning three years old today. It was a momentous occasion for the Hyuga clan when the heir reached that age.

 _'Why do you even care?'_ It asked.  _'It's not like you've ever met her before.'_

 _'True. But what kind of person lets a toddler get kidnapped, and doesn't even try and stop it?'_ This wasn't just a show anymore. I couldn't just stand to the side when I might have the chance to do something good.

_'Which brings me back to my point, what are you going to do?'_

I smiled and sighed.  _'I guess I'm going to have to buy her a birthday gift.'_

* * *

Convincing Yuuto was the had part. It wasn't uncommon for clans with lesser standing to 'pay respects' to the heirs of larger more powerful clans. But the Fukumura clan was a group of unfortunately proud people. We were even managing to pull ourselves out of the financial rut under Yuuto's careful management. They considered acknowledging Hinata essentially  _begging_ for help.

"No," Yuuto said firmly, not even looking up from his paperwork. Hikaru was sitting beside him, studying. "We will not attend."

"But other clans are going," I offered.

"Yes, clans that don't have to prove themselves on the political stage." He finally looked at me, more like a bug than a person. "I will not crush this clan's chances for power simply because you wish to make  _friends_."

" _I_ _toko-sama_ ," Hikaru said, closing his book. "Maybe you're looking at this the wrong way? There's no doubt that the Hyuga heiress will hold a lot of political influence when she grows older. Would it really be such a bad idea to foster a friendly relationship with her, while she's still young? And we  _were_ invited."

"You don't understand," Yuuto said, shaking his head. "The Hyuga...they're..." he sighed deeply and looked at me with a much more gentle expression. "The answer is no, Hitomi-chan. I'm sorry. But, Shino Aburame's fourth birthday is in late January. You can attend that one. Don't worry, dear. I'm sure you'll be able to make lots of friends."

Hikaru looked at me and frowned. "Sorry," he said, before going back to his work.

I bit the inside of my cheek and left them. I closed the sliding door, but I was no less determined. I went into my room and found something that I could give to Hinata. Eventually, I settled on a stuffed bear. I had a few ribbons in my room that I used for my hair that I tied around its neck. My small fingers had trouble tying the bow, but I managed it. The next problem was getting that invitation from Yuuto's office.

If I could get there on my own, and get back before anyone noticed, I'd be fine. No one would be the wiser. Yuuto left his office for a lunch break every afternoon at 1200 hours. So I crouched behind the back of the building and waited. At the stroke of twelve the sliding door opened. Yuuto and Hikaru were talking quietly about the trade routes they could set up in Kumo now that the war was officially over.

"Our clan stands to gain a lot from this alliance if the deals go through," Yuuto said.

"What do we do if they don't? They might not want to allow us to trade with them if there are still any hard feelings. There  _were_ a lot of atrocities committed on both sides."

"That's always a possibility," Yuuto said. "But most people want to move forward. New goods from a foreign country are  _just_ the thing people need to forget about the past."

"If you say so," Hikaru sounded unsure.

The two of them walked away and I stepped behind them. I silently opened the sliding door and stepped into Yuuto's office. I was mindful of the fourth floorboard from the door. It was squeaky. Yuuto's desk was an organized disaster. I carefully sorted through the paperwork. Most of it was just trade agreements. A few of them were mission reports from the shinobi Yuuto hired to protect the caravans that were traveling through the country. I stepped back and sighed in frustration when I came to the conclusion that it wasn't on his desk. It didn't have any drawers either.

The trashcan caught my attention and I kelt down to look inside it. It hadn't been emptied yet by the house staff. I shrugged and looked through. At the bottom of the can, was a tan envelope wrapped in a black string. I grabbed it and turned it over. "Got it," I whispered triumphantly. My head snapped up when I heard the giggles of one of the maids.

"Did you see Haru-san? He's very handsome, don't you think?" A woman's voice asked. Right in front of the door. My head looked around and I saw the window. It was too tall for me, so I sprung up as far up as I could, managing to hook my fingers around the windowsill. I opened it and rolled out into a group of bushes outside of Yuuto's office. I heard the door open and ran as quickly and quietly as I could, back to my room. Mission complete.

I pretended to be mad at Yuuto for the rest of the day. Mad enough that he got sick of it and sent me to my room with 'no dinner.' I put on my best clothes, that I would still be able to move in, and grabbed Hinata's gift. The party wouldn't start until the sun was already down, so I wasn't in a rush to be gone. I climbed out of my window after making sure that no one was around. It was fairly easy to leave the clan compound. There weren't very many of us left, and so no one really had time to be patrolling through the compound roads.

* * *

The Hyuga spared no expense on Hinata's birthday party. In fact, the small bear almost seemed insulting compared to all the grand gifts the small girl would be receiving. But it was taken anyways and put among the others.

 _'I still don't hear you coming up with a plan,'_ It said.

I looked around the party and spotted Shino and his father tucked away in the corner.  _'Sometimes, the most destructive weapon against a shinobi is being noticed,"_  was my response. Shino and I had played together a few times, It wouldn't be that strange if I talked to him. "Shino-san, hey!" I said happily. I bowed respectfully to Shibi, Shino's father. "Hello, Aburame-sama," I said.

"Hello Hitomi-san," Shino said lightly.

"We were not expecting you to attend," Shibi said.

"No, I wouldn't miss it!" I said, throwing my arms up. "Even the Kumo shinobi are attending!"

"Hm?" Shibi raised an eyebrow. "And where were they?" He asked casually.

"They were waiting outside with the others," I said. "It's really great that we've managed to form a bond strong enough with Kumo that we can even go to parties with them!"

Shini nodded and put a hand on Shino's back. "Keep your friend company, Shino, I want to go talk to the adults for a while."

Shino nodded and moved closer to me. "We should play Menko again, soon. Why? Because it's fun."

"I'd like that," I said with a smile. He was a tinny little cutie. "You should come over soon so we can play. We can play with my brother too."

He nodded and we stood together quietly, watching the other party goers. A felt something small land on my shoulder. It was just a winged beetle. I scooped it off of my shoulder and handed him to Shino who seemed confused for a moment before letting it go on the ground. I liked Shino. He didn't force conversation and while he wasn't loud or rambunctious, when he  _did_ come up with a game it was usually  _really fun._

"I am giving you an invitation to my birthday," he said.

"It's not for another month though, right?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Alright, I'll be there," I looked over and grinned happily when the servants brought out huge plates of food. "Come on, let's go get some food." I led him towards the table and we waited along with everyone else to be served.

 _'This isn't really a_ plan." It said. ' _And if it is, well, it's a bad plan.'_

 _'Shut up,'_ I grumbled quietly, taking a bite of the well-cooked beef.  _'I did what I could, all things considered, it all happened pretty smoothly.'_

 _'Hmm,'_ It sounded like it was laughing.  _'Maybe this will teach you not to be so hasty.'_

* * *

The peace talks fell apart. There was no treaty, and the war went on as if it had never even stopped. And the question on everyone's mind was why? Why did it happen like that? On the Night of December 27th, three young Chunin were killed while they were attempting to crash a birthday party. Fifteen-year-old Yuki Shion, sixteen-year-old Akemi Hotaru, and fifteen-year-old Hideaki Tanaka. While their actions were technically illegal, their intentions hadn't been malicious. The 'Head Ninja' Kazuo Ken had been furious, leaving the village with the rest of his party.

Strangely enough, during the fighting, a main branch family member of the Hyuga clan had lost his left eye.

 _'Your actions have consequences,'_ It whispered. ' _Maybe don't forget that next time.'_

The war lasted another year and a half before the two Kage managed to come to an  _actual_ agreement. The fighting stopped. The broken spirits of a countless number of our Shinobi trailed back into the village. The cries of family members who'd lost those precious to them pierced the ears of any who heard their wretched screams. The lives lost would be memorialized by a stone rectangle placed on the battlefield. It read: 'The price of war.' On the sides were marked all up and down it. The number of shinobi who had died during the war.

And in the end, how could I say it  _wasn't_ my fault?

* * *

I started the academy when I was five years old, like the majority of children did. By the second year, children would start branching off. Half would leave to attend the civilian public school. It was weird for me, to finally be sitting in our classroom. Before school had officially started, the Hokage himself came out from his office to give us a speech about the will of fire. How we were the next generation of protectors. It was both creepy and inspiring. On the one hand, he was encouraging us to be child soldiers who'd probably kill people before they even became teenagers. On the other hand, he really did know how to make a bunch of snotnosed brats feel like they could take on the world.

 _'Sit in the back, by the windows,'_ It said. ' _They'll be taking notice of your instincts.'_

I sighed and sat in the left back row, right next to the right window, away from the doors. I laid out the notebook and pencils that Hikaru had gotten for me as a gift. He'd been so excited that I was finally going to school with him. I wondered if he even realized that I wouldn't be in the same class as him. He'd seemed really disappointed when our teacher's assistant had rounded us first years up. He'd given me a wave before following the rest of his classmates to a different part of the academy.

Iruka walked into the classroom with a hesitant, yet excited smile. We all stood, a bit unpracticed, most of the class had never been a formal schooling situation where standing to greet your teacher was normal. "Good morning class, and welcome to the first day of your education," Iruka said. He had a stack of paper in his hands and divided them in half, putting them down on the desks of the first children on either side of the class. "Please take one and hand them back while I call Roll." He looked to the first name on his list. "Aburame, Shino?" He called.

"Here," my quiet friend said from the back of the right row.

"Akimichi Chōji?"

"Here!"

I mostly spaced out until I heard my own name. "Present," I said raising my hand. Then he continued down the list until we all had a paper in front of us. He allowed up to sit down but told us not to flip our paper over.

"In front of you, we have a simple test," he raised his hand when we all started groaning. "Don't worry, so long as you complete it, you will receive full marks. It's just to gauge how much you all know about these subjects already." He pulled out a stopwatch and put it around his neck. "You have ninety minutes, you may begin...now." He pressed the button.

As one, we all flipped the papers over. It was divided into three sections. Math, Language, Logic, and History. With four questions under each section. Math...my old nemesis.  _'Not going to help me out with this?'_ I asked.

 _'No,'_ It answered.  _'You're going to want to know how to do this on your own. Just trust me on that.'_

I sighed and looked at the first math problem. It seemed reasonable enough for a five-year-old.  _'You have seven kunai and your friend takes three. How many kunai do you have left?'_ So that one was no trouble. You have four kunai.

Next one was a little harder.  _'Haru has seven times the amount of books as Hanako. Hanako has half the amount of books as Hisa. If Hisa has 40 books, how many books do Haru and Hanako have?'_

Then it got harder.  _'Factor'_ was the instruction that was given for the next question. _(3x-7y)-(-8+10x)^2._

The next math question almost made my head explode:  _The equation 24x2+25x−47ax−2=−8x−3−53ax−2 is true for all values of x≠2a, where a is a constant._ _What is the value of a?_

But eventually, I finished and moved on to the next portion of the test, language. Good thing my cousin had been drilling that crap into my head. It was all just correcting the improper use of Kanji in short 'mission reports.' Then we had to explain why it was wrong.

Next was logic, which was...weird. The first question was a moral dilemma.  _'Your team has been captured on a mission to recover a stolen scroll. You're able to escape on your own and you have two choices. One, save your teammates and abandon the mission. Two, leave your teammates and recover the scroll and leave your teammates to die. What will you do?"_

Hard choices for a bunch of small children. But I did my answer.  _'Just because you go to regroup doesn't mean the mission has failed. I'd rescue my teammates so we could come up with another plan to take the scroll.'_

The next was just a riddle.  _'A man returns home and sees that he's been robbed. He alerts the authorities and they ask what's been stolen. He says "as far as I can tell, nothing." Why?_

Oh, that was easy. " _His house was stolen."_

_'A woman is sitting in her room at night. She has no lights on, no candle, no lamp, no light at all and yet she is reading. How is that possible?'_

I hummed.  _'She was reading brail.'_

_'I can't be seen, found, heard or smelled. I lie behind stars and under hills, I fill empty holes, come first and follow after. What am I?'_

That one took me a bit longer.  _'The Dark.' W_ as my answer.

The last portion of the test was all history questions. Most about the founding of Konoha, but there was a question about the last war. When everyone was finished we handed back our tests and Irula-sensei put them down on his desk. Everyone had their attention drawn to a loud growl at the front of the class. "What is this supposed to prove anyways?!" A small, blond boy demanded. "What has any of this have to do with being a ninja?!"

 _'Oh, that's Naruto.'_  I thought, watching him rage. I felt a smile brush my lips. Iruka sent him out of the classroom and made him stand in the hall. I sighed and shook my head. Iruka-sensei was trying to get the class back under control. At least out academy days would be interesting with Naruto there. When it was mostly quiet, Iruka-sensei started teaching about the different branches of the shinobi path. I thought the Codebreakers was an interesting idea to consider. It really would make me feel like a super spy. Something to think about, for sure.

 _'Ugh, that's boring,'_ It whined.  _'Go big or go home!'_

 _'Then I guess I'll go home.'_ I answered. 


	3. Chapter 3

Kunoichi class was mandatory. And I wasn't ashamed to say that I  _loved_ them. The class was taught by Etsuko-sensei, a soft looking woman with long yellow hair and bright green eyes. The only thing that seemed to give away her true talents was a small scar on her cheek. She had all us girls gather around her in a semi-circle. "Do you know why you're here?" She asked us, tucking her legs underneath her.

One girl, shocking pink hair, and hesitant eyes. Etsuko-sensei nodded and pointed at her. "To learn to be Kunoichi?" She suggested.

Our teacher chuckled quietly and nodded. "Well, you aren't wrong," she said. "But, more specifically, you are here to learn to become the greatest of infiltrators. I will teach you how to use your natural charm to survive behind enemy lines, without them even having known you were an enemy, to begin with." She stood up carefully and rested her hand against another girl's head. "Women are dangerous, my darlings, and I will ensure that you are as well, by the time you graduate here."

Our first lesson was fun. Write a Haiku about something we saw in the field, and read it in front of the class. Everyone got the chance to express themselves creatively. It was a little less fun when I had to pull myself to the front of the group with my poem in hand. I felt a little silly with all those other people looking at me. Most of them looked bored, we'd had to go through twenty already, and we in the last class before lunch.

"A dancing flower  
Blown by the gentle spring wind  
Petals float away."

Everyone clapped politely and our taught made a quick mark on her clipboard. "Very good job, Hitomi-chan," she said, gesturing for me to join the rest of the group. She smiled down at all of us. "Poetry and flower arrangements have been used by Kunoichi to secretly pass messages between our allies. It is a vital skill to learn. Your homework tonight is to write a Haiku to warn an ally about danger coming their way. You're dismissed."

We all ran off towards the playground. It wasn't much, just a few swings and a fenced off field. I went back inside to get the bento one of the maids had made for me.

"Hey! Hitomi-chan!" One of the girls from my class called excitedly. I looked and saw that she was standing with a small group of children, all holding their boxed lunches. "Come eat lunch with us!"

I grinned happily. "Sure!" I followed her and we all made our way to sit under a tree in the middle of the playing field. Being a young child was a strange experience to me. With the 'soul' of an adult, I could still remember my past life, though I admit, some things were starting to slip away from me. However, I still had the brain development of a five-year-old. So I still wanted things, like friends, and my caregivers' approval. it was a confusing and tangled existence.

But I had lunch to worry about, so I could think about my eternal existential crisis later.

"Have you started on Etsuko-sensei's homework assignment?" I asked the girls in our group. They looked at each other for a second, before bursting into loud laughter. I felt my cheeks heating up.

"It's the first day of school," one of the girls said. Her name was Aki if I remembered correctly. "That's something we can worry about later."

"She's right," another girl said. "That's why it's called  _home_ work."

"But...why would you put it off?" I asked. "If you did it  _now_ then you wouldn't have to worry about it later. And you'd have more time to train."

Aki rolled her eyes and gave me a patronizing twitch of her mouth. "We have Taijutsu class every Wednesday. That's enough time to train." She sighed and pushed her hair behind her shoulder. "Don't worry about it so much, Hitomi-chan. My ma always said that all work and no play makes an uninteresting woman."

I huffed and took a bite of rice. "Let's agree to disagree then," I said.

"Well if you're so great at working ahead, why don't you read us the Haiku you wrote for Etsuko-sensei."

I thought for a second. "It's...uh...," I reached into the pocket of my shorts and pulled out a piece of paper.  
" _Through windows is night  
_ _Dagger wielded by a friend  
_ _Comes close to striking."_

"Hm, that's pretty good," Aki said.

"Thank you," I acknowledged.

* * *

Hikaru was waiting for me at the gates, with a huge grin. "How was your first day?" He asked, gently taking my hand.

"It was alright," I said with a shrug. "I ate lunch with a couple girls. We had a test. It seemed pretty normal."

"Disappointed?" Hikaru asked with a slight grin. "Expecting to be casting jutsu left and right?"

I puffed my cheeks out and shook my head. "No...I figured that we'd be taking it slow. It's just..." I sighed and closed my eyes for a second. "My fellow classmates don't seem to care about their grades very much."

Hikaru chuckled and ruffled my dark green hair and pulled me closer into a one-armed hug that almost knocked me off my feet. He laughed softly and shook his head. "You're just like Akira," he said in slight exasperation. "The two of you just seem to feed off of learning. Not everyone is like that, alright? So make sure to give your classmates a bit of slack."

I saw a few of my other classmates being picked up by their parents or older siblings. Sasuke was even being greeted by his older brother, and he made a big show of it. I rolled my eyes and turned away. I spotted Naruto, walking away with his bag slung over his shoulder. "He's all alone," I said, looking at the blonde boy. I looked up when I felt Hikaru's hand tighten around mine.

"Leave that kid alone, you got it?" He said seriously.

"No," I said. I watched Naruto disappear behind the corner. "Let's go home."

Yuuto was waiting for us. He was sitting at the table, a soft smile on his face, that he reserved almost exclusively for my brother and I. He asked me the same basic questions about how everything went. "Hitomi-chan, will you come with me, please?" He asked, gesturing with his head towards the door of his office. I frowned but followed anyways.

He looked through his bookcase for a moment before he leaned down and handed a scroll to me. "I'm sure you've noticed that you have a...roommate with you?" He looked  _sad._ I nodded. "When you were very young, we had to seal the spirit inside of you. This scroll is the details of what this creature actually is. As the container, you are allowed to use Its powers however you wish. But I would advise you to exercise caution. There are people who  _know_ about It, and it would be very bad if you made them think you meant the village any ill-will."

I looked down at the scroll, suddenly feeling like it weighed thousands of pounds. "Its mostly just annoying," I said. "I'm kind of unconvinced that it has any power at all."

Yuuto flinched and looked down at the floor. He took a few deep breaths and rested his hands on my small shoulders. "Just...read the scroll," he ordered sternly. He looked a bit sad for a second before he turned away. "Can you please send your brother in?"

"Sure," I said as I left.

* * *

_Upon my death, this will be handed down to my son, and to his children after him, and so on and so forth. This is a recounting of what I can remember of the spirit that calls Itself the Shinra Bansho. When I was a young man of fifteen years, I encountered this spirit dwelling in a cave. It took the form of neither male or female. It was resting inside of a thick book written in a language that I couldn't understand. I, foolishly maybe, opened the book and the spirit entered into me._

_What I experienced could only be described as 'everything.' All at once. The past, present, and future of the entire world played inside my mind. I thought I was dying, I should have died, but by some divine miracle, I was spared. It spoke to me, taking me to a room in my own mind, showing me its physical form. It asked me what I desired most, and when I answered, it gave me every possible asset that I would need to achieve that goal. I soon rose through the ranks and became the head of our entire village, not even just my clan. And I always wondered, what did this creature get out of helping me? On the surface, it seemed like nothing. I was the most powerful person among the people I knew._

_It was in the thirty-first year that I learned the true price of the_ _Shinra Bansho's power_.  _Unknowingly I had entered into a deal with this spirit. At the end of my life, I will become that_ _Shinra Bansho's servant, as will any other Host after me. There is no escape. I will go to the spirit's side when I die and shall have no choice but to serve it for eternity._

_The simple question, what is the_ _Shinra Bansho? It would be too simplistic for me to say Its a god. If only it were so easy. No. The easiest way to understand it is the_ _Shinra Bansho is everything. Literally, everything. There is no question It does not know the answer to. However, It may or may not answer. It has no use for a Host that can't think on their own._

_Once, this spirit was the cause of many wars, until it was sealed in a book and hidden away. I fear that if the_ _Shinra Bansho became common knowledge, these wars would begin again._ _Imagine it for a moment. Terrible, wouldn't you say?_

_If you are the new host, reading this, I ask that you do your very best to keep it quiet. People will kill you to gain the power of the Shinra Bonsho. Use this power well, whoever you may be. With it, also comes great responsibility._

_\- Tomi_ _Fukumura_

I read the story several times. I  _still_ didn't really understand anything.  _It_ was strangely quiet while I read. After the third time, I rolled it up and put it in my bedside drawer. Was that why Yuuto was so sad? Because I never got the choice to reject taking the spirit into my body? Honestly, I was kind of pissed about it myself. I flopped down onto my bed and rolled over so I was face down. It was hardly fair, that this had been forced upon me. Not fair that my eternal fate had been decided before I was even old enough to walk.

 _'It's not...quite what your thinking,'_ It finally pipped up. ' _It's not like I'm going to make you murder small children or blow up villages. Honestly, I think you're getting the better end of the deal.'_

' _Shut up,'_ I growled in my mind. ' _I'm upset right now, and I want to be left alone to brood.'_

I heard It chuckle slightly.  _'As you wish.'_

I couldn't really decide who I was the angriest at. The asshole who sealed In in me in the first place, or the spirit who was demanding I be its personal servant forever. Maybe both.  _Both_  was an acceptable answer.

* * *

Our first Taijutsu class was exciting, in my opinion, anyway. They had us line up in rows of five and mirror our instructor's actions. But it wasn't a normal teacher. It was an  _actual_ Shinobi who went out on missions and everything. He greeted us at the beginning of the day with a bit of uncertainty, but after we all started getting into the 'moves' he seemed to loosen up a bit. He turned and watched us perform the basic punch, block, kick combo he'd taught us, grinning proudly when it seemed like everyone had got it down.

He moved through the groups, adjusting our arms and feet while we moved. He stopped by me and watched me while I ran through the combo twice. "Protect your neck a little more than your face," he said, showing me where to hold my arms. "There you go, very good," he encouraged. He watched me move through a few more times before moving on.

"AH!" A kid yelled from the front. I stopped and looked over curiously. "WHY DO WE HAVE TO DO THIS?!" Naruto yelled, causing all of us to sigh and keep going with our exercise. He was just trying to get attention again. Iruka-sensei yelled at him and told him that if he kept yelling he'd get a zero for the day. That would have been enough to send me home in tears. Not so much for Naruto. He kept at it for another minute before Iruka-sensei had enough and sent him to go sit on the bench until the class was over.

I  _knew_ that Naruto would be a great hero one day. But as a classmate, he was really annoying. His interruptions happened on a daily basis and I couldn't help but resent him a little bit for it. We were there to  _learn_ and he was hindering our ability to do so. I cast him an exasperated look when I saw him sitting, dejected, with his legs pulled up to his chest while he watched us train.

The resentment quickly turned to a more compassionate feeling when I saw him. He was...alone. All alone. For reasons beyond his control, most people didn't trust him. Those that weren't actively hostile just totally ignored him. No one wanted anything to do with him, and despite that, he worked his ass off his entire life to prove that he was worth something. So I made a decision.

 _'Remember what happened with the Hyuga,'_ It warned me quietly. ' _Your actions have consequences.'_

 _'Will the world end if I share lunch with him?'_ I asked it sarcastically.

_'Nope. But you might not like the results.'_

_'Stop being cryptic and just tell me!"_ I demanded. It said nothing. I huffed and finished the class with everyone else, for the moment putting everything else out of my mind.

I went back inside and turned Aki down when she asked me to sit with them again. I found Naruto sitting on the wooden swing that hung on a tree in front of the academy. "Hey, Naruto-san," I called. He looked up, surprised. "Want to share lunch with me?" I asked.

* * *

Our first progress report came out at the end of the first trimester of our schooling. I handed the envelope to Yuuto who was waiting with my brother in the entrance hall. He flipped it open and read it over with probing eyes. His lips twitched up and he handed it to me. "Very good," he said. "Work on your lower grades a bit more though."

The first years were graded on a scale of 0-100 in every class. It reminded me of... _something_  I couldn't quite put my finger on. I looked at my grades and was pleasantly surprised.

Critical Thinking: 430/500 (Pass-Exceeds Expectations)  
Arithmetic: 75  
Culture: 90  
Geography: 95  
History: 90  
Science (Earth): 80

Practical Application: 195/300 (Pass-Bellow Average)  
Taijutsu: 50  
Ninjutsu: 70  
Genjutsu: 75

Extra: 159/200 (Pass-Average)  
Sparing: 60  
Kunoichi: 99

Final Score: 809/1000  
Class Ranking: 4th  
Additional Notes: It's very common for children just beginning the Academy to be lacking in the more physical areas of training. Your CT classes look very promising, and Etsuko-sensei says that you're at the top of her class. However, I would ask you to please focus more on your PA classes. Let's see those grades get above an 80, alright? Still, top five! Very good job, I know you were working hard! ~Iruka-sensei.

 _'Not bad, you little nerd,'_ It said.  _'You're going to want to get those physical classes higher. I've been around long enough to know that weak ninja don't tend to live very long.'_

I hated to admit that It was right, but It was. There was an option for Academy students to apply for after-school tutoring in subjects they were struggling in. I knew they cost a little money, though orphans could apply for scholarships for those classes.  _But,_ my family would be able to pay for it out of pocket, now that our trading business had been picking up  _significantly._ I didn't want to take the opportunity away from a student who  _wouldn't_ be able to afford it. "Yuuto, I think I should sign up for the extra classes," I said.

He grinned proudly at me. "I'll get you signed up for anything you got less than an 80 in. I expect to see significant improvement from you, is that understood?" He asked.

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

Hikaru slumped down on my bed when his studies with Yuuto were finished. He looked at me with pressed lips and turned his head away when I raised an eyebrow at him. "I hear you've been eating lunch with that kid I told you to stay away from."

"Yeah," I said. "He has a name, it's Naruto. He doesn't have the plague, aniki. He's just a kid. I think you'd like him if you gave it a chance."

He sighed and turned his head back to me. "You really should listen to people older than you, it tends to get you into trouble when you don't." He sat up slowly. "Yuuto said he was a dangerous person, so you should be careful," he said.

"Are you going to rat me out?" I asked him, glaring.

"No," he said with a grin. "But still...just be careful."

"Alright, I'll be careful, but when he  _doesn't_ eat me, I get to say 'I told you so.'"

"Fair enough, I guess."

He left a minute later and I grabbed my math book off my nightstand. I looked at it, distaste clear on my face. I would have rather been doing  _anything_ else other than studying math while we had two weeks off, but unfortunately, if I wanted to be successful, the only thing I could do was work hard.  _'Hey, help me study?'_ I asked It, pulling out my math notebook.

It was quiet for a second.  _'Sure, but as I said, I'm not giving you the answers.'_

 _'That's fine,'_  I said.


	4. Chapter 4

Shino was a quiet kid. I liked that. He joined me in the extra Taijutsu classes. "Where did you place?" I asked him while we ran through the drills. "I was in fourth place in the overall."

"I placed third," he said, kicking upwards with the rest of the class. "Why? Because I worked hard."

"Good job!" I congratulated him. "Do you know who was in the other top five spots?" I asked.

"Sakura Haruno, placed fifth. A perfect score in the critical thinking category. Second place was Kiku Shion, placed high in both the Practical and Critical classes. Sasuke Uchiha was first this trimester. Why? Because he placed the top in everything  _but_ the critical thinking classes."

"I want to be number one!" I said, my eyes burning. I cast a grin to Shino who tilted his head to the side. "Should we make it a friendly competition?" I asked. "Whoever places higher in the second trimester...hmmm."

"Perhaps, the loser must buy lunch for the winner?" He suggested.

"That's a fantastic idea, Shino-kun."

"You do not need to use honorifics with me. Why? Because we are friends."

I giggled and nodded. "Sure thing, Shino! But only if you don't use them with me either."

"That is agreeable."

Our instructor walked over to us with a sour look on his face. "If you have air in your lungs to gab, then you have air to train harder! Got it?!" He snapped, putting his hands on his hips.

"Yes, sir!" I answered, moving through the exercise quicker. He watched Shino and me for a few minutes before nodding in approval and moving on to observe the other four children who were in our group. He let us go an hour later. I waved goodbye to Shino and went off to my arithmetic lessons.

I noticed that I was one of two girls who were in that class. The other, a small, and pouting Ino Yamanaka. I walked slowly over to her and smiled when she looked up, looking hesitant. "May I sit here, Ino-san?" I asked her, gesturing to the seat next to her.

"Hm, you're that girl who hangs out with Bug Boy and the loudmouth, right?" She asked, a bored expression on her face.

"Yep! That's me!" I said proudly.

_'I don't think you were supposed to take that as a good thing,"_ It said.

She pressed her lips together before a smile brightened her face, and he laughed loudly. "Great! I love how earnestly you said that. It's good to be proud of your friends, I guess." She moved over and patted the seat next to her. I sat down and our conversation ended because Iruka-sensei walked in with his math books in hand.

"Welcome to the cram class for arithmetic!" He said happily. "I'm so proud of you all for taking your studies so seriously!" He said with a grin. "Now, I notice the most common mistake in your class, has been the order of operations. So why don't we work on that for today? Can anyone tell me the acronym we use to remember the order?" A boy in the front row raised his hand. "Yes, Kaito-kun?"

"PEMDAS," he said evenly.

"Good!" Iruka-sensei smiled. "Now, PEMDAS stands for what?"

I raised my hand. Iruka-sensei called on me.

"It stands for: parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction."

"Yes, thank you."

* * *

The next trimester, Shikamaru Nara thoroughly put all us peasants in our places by trouncing us in everything, except in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, where Sasuke placed a little higher. The top five order was Shikamaru and Sasuke taking the number one and two spots with scores of 999 and 998 respectively. Shino scored third place with a score of 897. I placed fourth (again) with a score of 870.5. Sakura placed fifth again with a score of 865. Iruka-sensei was really proud of the entire class. By the end of their year, we'd all improved by at least fifty points.  _Except_ for Naruto, who was once again at the bottom of the class. He pretended that he didn't really care.

Like I suspected, by the beginning of the second year, more than half of our classmates transferred out of the academy. Leaving us with 27 children in year two. That year, Sasuke slipped back into first place for a trimester but was beat back to second place by the second. I placed two points above Shino, taking his third-place spot for two trimesters. Sakura beat me for fourth place in the third trimester, putting me in fifth place. I was very proud of her.

* * *

Third year at the academy. January 15th, my brother graduated. He walked me home, swinging my hand back and forth, a proud edge pep in his step. We sat at the dinner table with Yuuto, and he gabbed away happily. "My teammates are Daiki Uchiha and Emi Mori. They're both really nice! I liked them back when we were kids, I hope the three of us can be good friends!" He said excitedly.

Uchiha...what was it about that name?

"Who is your Jonin instructor?" Yuuto asked.

"Her name is Kaori Goto, she's really cool! She said that we have a test to pass tomorrow, to become fully-fledged ninja, but I bet we've got it down pat!"

I watched him, unable to help the joy that bubbled in my chest at how excited he was. He was going to do great, and I knew it. I was correct. He returned the next day with his teammates and his sensei for dinner at our house. They were nice people, and I loved that they seemed to compliment my brother's personality so well. Emi-san was a quiet girl who observed all of us with an unnerving closeness to attention. Daiki-san was the sweetheart who brought us a gift when he came to visit. His teacher was polite and courteous to us, promising to take good care of Hikaru for us.

It was that year that I witnessed a Chunin exam, that started on my birthday. July 1st. It was interesting to see all the Shinobi for other villages walking through our streets. But, not for an attack. They all seemed kind of hesitant to talk to anyone. That was also the first year that Konoha and Kumo attended a Chunin exam in the same place since the war ended.  _They_ were the ones who almost seemed afraid to be there. Hikaru was mad that he and his team weren't nominated, but Kaori-sensei said she was going to nominate them for the next one so that assuaged some of his anger.

My eighth birthday party was a boring affair. It was nothing compared to Hinata's, five years ago. Yuuto told me to invite everyone from my class, and I used that as an opportunity to invite Naruto. By the time Yuuto and the rest of my clansmen noticed their mistake, it was too late. Naruto was strangely subdued when he first came over. He took his shoes off and handed off my gift politely, and greeted my cousin and brother with a bow.

"Come on," I said, taking him by the hand, and leading him to where the other children were playing. Not many of my classmates had accepted my invitation when they saw me very publicly hand one to Naruto during class. Shino, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Sakura, Aki, Hana, Miya, and Kiba were actually the only ones. Hinata was forbidden to attend, or I'm sure she would have come if she was allowed to. "Hey everyone, I think this is the last of us!"

"Great!" Ino said, crossing her arms and grinning. "Do you have any party games planned?" She asked.

"Actually, I was hoping we could all play ninja! Boys against girls!"

The others looked at each other before shuffling into the teams. We were running around the backyard, yelling and laughing when one of the maids opened the door. We all looked at her curiously. "Your last guest has arrived, Hitomi-sama," she said, stepping to the side. Sasuke stood there with a glare, that looked more like a pout, holding his brother's hand.

Itachi Uchiha, thirteen-year-old heir to the Uchiha clan. He stood with a soft smile, gift in the hand that wasn't holding onto Sasuke. "Sorry we're late," he said, handing the gift to the maid. "Sasuke forgot to tell us about your invitation."

"That's alright," I said with a shrug, trying to ignore the happy squeals from the girls. I  _knew_ Sasuke didn't like me, and that was fine. Because it wasn't so much about me personally, as if was some of the people I hung out with. The girls in our class could be... _persistent._ And it made him uncomfortable. I understood that. "We were just playing ninja. It's boys against girls."

Itachi led Sasuke over to where the rest of the boys stood and let go. "Be good, I'll be back to pick you up after dinner." Itachi poked his forehead. He turned around and held the gift out to me. "Happy birthday, Hitomi-san," he said. Then he left, and the game continued on as normal. There was something nagging at the back of my mind, that I couldn't quite place. I watched Itachi talk to Yuuto for a second before Ino grabbed me and told me the 'plan' to defeat the enemy ninja. What was it? Why was I feeling so...uneassy?

At the end of the night, the parents all came to pick their children up, wishing me a happy birthday. When Sasuke left, I grabbed him by the sleeve. He turned and glared at me, apprehension already on his young face. "Thank you for coming," I said. "I'd also like to say that I  _don't_ have a crush on you. So if you ever come to another one of my birthday parties I promise I won't try and put the moves on you."

He squinted at me and huffed, grabbing his brother's hand, without saying anything. I shrugged. If that was the closest I got to an understanding, I'd live with it.

July 23rd, I figured out why I was so weirded out by Itachi. Iruka-sensei called us into class, his face solemn. "Class, I'm sure you've noticed by now that Sasuke-kun isn't here today. At this time, I am only able to tell you the basics, but we know that it is better to tell you upfront, instead of letting you gossip. Last night, Itachi Uchiha...masacured the Uchiha clan-"

There were gasps and shouts of disbelief as well all came up with the same question. Was Sasuke dead, or not? Iruka-sensei held his hands up and we quieted down. "I am happy to report, that Sasuke did survive. He is in the hospital right now, but the nurses say he should be back by next month. I am, however, sad to report that Sasuke was the  _only_ survivor."

* * *

Hikaru was inconsolable. I found him locked away in his room, sobbing under his blankets. I crawled up next to him and laid down. He latched onto me like I was an overgrown stuffed animal. His tears soaked my hair. He and Daiki had grown to be great friends while they were teamed together. "We were supposed to take the Chunin exams together," he whispered, his voiced cracking and heartbroken. "He...he wanted to become a medic-nin. He said it was his  _dream._ To be able to help people. Why?  _Why?"_

"I don't know," I said, rubbing his back as best I could.

_'You know...but your forgetting. Does that scare you?'_ It asked, sounding genuinely curious.

_'Does it matter? What could I have done to stop him? I tried to save Hinata five years ago, and look at how that turned out. I think, that maybe it's best I forget about what happened_ before  _and focus on the now. Like my brother, who is torn apart over the death of his closest friend. Besides...it's already starting to fade away.'_

Hikaru fell asleep curled around me, and I didn't have the heart to move and wake him. Yuuto came in an hour or so later to check on him. He smiled sadly when he saw me. "You're a good sister," he said, covering the two of us up with a second blanket. It was summer, but it was still somehow really cold. "Keep him company for a while longer, will you?" He asked.

"I don't mind," I said. I closed my eyes and pressed closer to Hikaru's side. I already figured that I'd be sleeping there. I fell asleep rather quickly. My sleep was much more peaceful than Hikaru's was.

When Sasuke returned to school, he was a bitter, angry, child. Which wasn't much of a surprise, really. He wouldn't even acknowledge  _teachers_ when he didn't feel like it. Everyone handled him with kid gloves. No one wanted to set him off. That's...more or less how the rest of our schooling went.

* * *

My brother turned 15 on August 27th. He stood before our clansmen, dressed in his finest clothes, and accepted the title of Clan Head from our cousin Yuuto. However, he decided to share responsibility with Yuuto, because he wasn't ready to give up being a ninja. I was proud of him, standing tall before the other Clan Heads and declaring himself their equal. They accepted him, and for the first time since the Kyuubi attack, our clan stood as part of the great clans of Konoha.

Really, my older brother was the coolest.

That year, he took the Chunin exams with his living teammate Emi. Then they had a third team member assigned to them. He was a polite young man, a bit older than my brother, with glasses that were slightly too big for his face. He came over for dinner the night before and celebrated my birthday with the rest of the family. It was a small affair. He got me a journal and a few fancy ink pens. Hikaru and Emi passed, and their teammate didn't, but he promised that he'd try again in the next exam.

* * *

The last ranking list came out the night before I graduated from the academy. They hung the names of our class's top ten students on the board outside.

1\. Nara, Shikamaru  
2\. Uchiha, Sasuke  
3\. Aburame, Shino  
4\. Fukumura, Hitomi  
5\. Haruo, Sakura  
6\. Yamanaka Ino  
7\. Inuzuka, Kiba  
8\. Hyuga, Hinata  
9\. Akamichi, Choji  
10\. Suzuki, Ena

I ran over and hugger Shino. "Good job!" I said excitedly. He nodded, offering his own congratulations. Naruto was standing farther away from the rest of the students. I put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Hey, after today, the class grades aren't going to matter anymore. Because we'll be ninja, and we'll have to prove how we work on the field."

He perked up considerably. "You're totally right!" He gave me a thumbs up. "But uh...good on you and Shino. You two have been switching back and forth between the third and fourth spot since we  _started._ It's impressive."

"Thank you, Naruto-san," Shino said quietly. "However, Hitomi, I believe this means I have placed higher than you."

I waved my hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, I know. Where do you want lunch today?" I asked.

He thought for a moment. "Tanakaka's has a new grilled winter melon platter. I would like that."

"Sure thing," I said, turning away from him. I looked over at Naruto. "Wanna come?" I asked. "My treat."

He accepted.

The test was easy, compared to the rigorous training we'd put ourselves through in the past seven years. When it was my turn I walked briskly into the exam room and smiled at Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei. The final exam was on the clone jutsu, simple enough. I performed the hand sign and cheered when a perfect copy of me poofed into existence and gave our teachers an enthusiastic thumbs up.

"No surprise there," Iruka-sensei said. "You passed."

I jumped up and down a few times. I marched up to the desk where they kept the forehead protectors, and laughed, spinning around when Iruka-sensei handed it to me. There was a mirror behind me and I thought before slowly tying it around my neck. "Wow," I said, feeling the weight of the mettle. "I'm actually a ninja."

Iruka-sensei chuckled. "You are," he said. "It's been an honor to be your teacher, Hitomi-chan. Please, make the village just as proud to have you as a kunoichi."

I ran my thumb over the leaf symbol stood straighter. "I promise I will, Iruka-sensei."

Naruto went last and was the only one of our class who didn't pass the test. I saw him hanging on the lonely swing, but Mizuki-sensei stopped me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, I know what to say," he said.

I paused. This was familure. "Yeah, sure thing." I caught Naruto's eye and waved to him when our teacher went over to collect him.  _'It's that feeling again,'_ I thought.  _'Should I worry?'_

_'No...'_ It said.  _'I think he's going to be fine. You on the other hand...good luck girlie.'_

_'What does that mean?!'_ I asked, slightly alarmed.

_'You said once, years ago, that you didn't mind if the memories of your past life faded away. But by that point...you'd mostly forgotten it all anyway. All you really remember is Pain and Orochimaru. The really big parts. But you've forgotten the small things. You've forgotten the face of Orochimaru's spies. You've forgotten what happens_ tonight.  _You've forgotten how they pair off teams.'_

_'Hm? Why do the teams matter?'_ I asked.

_'Typically, the person with the worst scores is paired with the person who has the highest scores. Case in point, Naruto and Sasuke. But the top scoring and lowest scoring boys are also paired with the highest scoring kunoichi. In other words, my dear...you've put yourself in a very precarious position.'_

_'No...no. no. That's not right...Sakura is supposed to be on team seven. Not me.'_

_'And she scored 15.5 out of 20 on her final scores._ Just  _above average, which is 15. You, on the other hand, scored a 16. You beat her out by half a point.'_

I looked down at my hands, horror in my eyes. I wanted to remember. I took it back, I wanted my memories. I  _needed_ them. If it was true...if I was on team seven, I needed to know what was coming. How could I survive if...

"Ah!" I heard someone scream. I felt strong arms wrap around me and lift me off the ground. Hikaru swung me around in a circle, yelling excitedly. "You're a ninja!" He screamed. He put me back down, pride burning in his eyes. He sniffed and blinked rapidly. " _Oh,_ I knew you could do it!"

I felt the pressure on my shoulders lift slightly as I fell into my older brother's arms. At least I could count on him, to keep me safe while we were in the village.

"Now that you're a ninja, it falls to me to teach you the clan jutsu," he said. "Come with me, your training begins right now."

* * *

Every Fukumura, without exception, had a natural water chakra type. Hikaru sat across from me by the pond in the center of our and smiled. "Watch my hands carefully," he said. Dog, boar, snake, and rat. "Did you remember that?" He asked. I nodded and he performed the seals again, letting the chakra flow through him. "Water Style: Water Breather!" Then he jumped into the pond. He stayed under for at least a minute, and when his head popped up, I noticed little gills disappearing into his skin.

"Alright, now you try," he said. "When you go underwater, take a deep breath in," he said.

I looked at him hesitantly before performing the signs and jumping in. Reason enough to say, it didn't work. It took me eighteen tries and five hours before I could perform it without half-drowning. When the gills grew on the side of my neck I opened my eyes. It looked like I was standing on land, everything was so clear. I swam back to the top and smiled happily when Hikaru cheered for me.

He pulled me out of the lake and pushed me back towards our house. "You're a ninja now, no matter what happens with your test. And I know you're going to make me so proud of you."

"Thanks, Aniki."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll Update again on Saturday

I went to the academy orientation in the new clothes that I'd picked out the day before graduation. They were... _practical._  They had to be both sturdy and breathable. The Land of Fire was a very  _hot_ country.

The fishnets I wore under my shirt and shorts provided excellent body armor. They had a lining of tan mesh under the metal parts so it didn't agitate my skin. That was the first part of my outfit, fairly simple. Next was onto the wrappings which were...much harder. Medic-nins had come to talk to us about wrapping our joints to keep us from some...painful situations. So I wrapped them from my ankles to my knees. And from my wrists to my elbows, making sure that they were loose enough I could move, and tight enough that they weren't a hindrance. It helped that they were kinda stretchy. My shirt was made from a thin nylon type fabric. It was forest green and zipped all the way to the middle of my neck and was sleeveless. I wanted to show off the fishnets on my shoulders. I felt I was allowed a bit of vanity, considering I paid so much for it. The clan symbol was embroidered on my back. Three black vertical lines inside of a white circle. My shorts were black, made from the same type of material as my shirt, they stopped just above the knee. I covered the bandages on my arms and legs with long glove and shoes. I tied the headband around my neck, moving my head in a circular motion to make sure that it didn't restrict my movements.

It was almost perfect.

I twisted a lock of my hair in my fingers and frowned sadly. It reached down to my hips by that point. But I was a Genin, and I didn't feel I was advanced in skill enough to justify having hair so long. So easy for an enemy to grab. I grabbed a huge section of it and a pair of scissors. I moved quickly, making sure that I didn't have the opportunity to turn back. I watched my hair fall between my fingers and whined sadly. I kept cutting, trying to keep it as even as possible. Eventually, I was satisfied with it being  _just_ above my shoulders. My bangs were about the same length so I just left them, clipping them to the side so they wouldn't get in my face.

"I'm a ninja," I said, looking at myself in the mirror. I straightened my back and held my head a bit higher. I took a deep breath and grabbed my kunai pouch I had on my desk and attached it to the clip I'd sown into the side of my pants. I was ready.

* * *

I sat next to Shino and grinned at him. "So, what's up, mister ninja?" I asked, bumping his arm with my shoulder. I saw him grin, but he just gestured to the seat next to him. I sat down. For once, I didn't pull my notebook or pens out. There was no need, it was just orientation. I hadn't even brought my book bag. The door opened and I stood up, my face lighting in joy. "Naruto!? Is that a headband?!" I called.

He perked up and jogged over to me and Shino. "You'll never  _believe_ what happened to me last night!" He said excitedly, pushing me over on the bench so he could sit next to us. He launched into his story about what had happened the previous night. From being tricked into stealing the scroll to Mizuki-sensei tricking him, then finally about how Iruka-sensei saved him and promoted him in the field.

"That's  _crazy,"_ I said, blinking rapidly. "I hope Mizuki goes to  _jail."_ I sighed and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad that you're okay."

"Well, I'm doubly glad that I'm a  _ninja_ now!" He shouted.

Sasuke walked in and was immediately swarmed by the other girls in our class. I felt kinda bad, but he just rolled his eyes and turned his face toward the window. There were a few more shenanigans, that I couldn't keep Naruto out of, then Iruka-sensei opened the door. He was limping slightly. "Alright, settle down!" He ordered. "Now, I'm going to announce the teams! So pay attention!"

We all sat down and looked at him expectantly. "Good. Now, team one: Akira, Nana, and Daichi! Team two: Sakura Haruno, Botan Harada, and Eichi Harada! Team three:-"

 _'No, wait,'_ I looked down and tightened my hands together under the desk. I tried not to let my expression change. I couldn't let on that I was panicking.  _'Please, I'm not strong enough yet.'_

 _'Don't worry too much,'_ It said.  _'I don't intend to let you die for a very long time. You're an interesting person.'_

"Team seven: Naruto Uzumaki, Hitomi Fukumura, and Sasuke Uchiha."

"Hey!" Naruto stood up and yelled, slamming his hands down on the desk. "Why does an awesome ninja like me have to be paired with a looser like Sasuke?!"

Iruka-sensei glared at him, gritting his teeth. "We paired the person with the highest scores with the person who had the lowest scores. Sasuke had the highest. You, Naruto, had the lowest."

I winced when the rest of the class started laughing. Iruka-sensei waited for them to calm down before he continued reading off the list. I pulled at Naruto's shirt and smiled at him. "Hey, we're on the same team," I whispered.

"Yeah," he said, still a bit glum.

"I am...disappointed," Shino said. "I was hoping we could be a team. Though, I understand why we were not."

I punched him gently on the shoulder. "Don't even worry about it," I said. "We're  _always_ going to be friends."

He blinked slowly and nodded once. "Yes, thank you, Hitomi."

* * *

It was time for lunch. "Come on. let's invite Sasuke to eat with us," I said, gesturing with my head towards the door Sasuke had disappeared through. I saw him about to argue and shook my head. " _Naruto,_ we're a team now. We're going to be working very closely together. We should try to get along."

"He's so stuck up!"

I laughed shortly. "I know." I held up the extra bento I'd made for Naruto. "Now play nice, or I won't give this to you."

We found him sitting alone in a storage room. He looked at us, pausing mid-bite of a riceball. "What?" He asked shortly.

"We were wondering if you wanted to eat lunch with us? We're a team after all, so we-"

"No thanks," he said, cutting me off.

"Hey! Don't be rude to Hitomi!" Naruto sprung at the chance to argue with Sasuke.

I grabbed him before he launched himself at Sasuke, but I didn't have to stop the fight, because Naruto's stomach started rumbling dangerously. His eyes widened and he ran outside, screaming about the bathroom. I blinked slowly and tilted my head to the side. I sighed and shook my head. "Hey, Sasuke-san," I said. He looked at me, irritated. "We're a team. I get it, that messes with your whole 'loner aesthetic' but I'd like to know when the last time you ever heard of Konoha shinobi  _not_ working in teams of three. I'm not saying you have to  _like us_ but I am saying you have to  _work_ with us. Please, if not for the sake of the team, do it because it'll help you advance further."

He didn't say anything, just returning to his empty gazing out the window. He didn't tell me to leave, so I assume he wasn't going to argue if I stayed. Naruto came back a few minutes later, and I sighed, handing him the bento. "You haven't been drinking spoiled milk again, have you?" I asked. Naruto took a bite of rice and scrunched up his face and shrugged. " _Naruto,"_ I said, rubbing my temples.

"It's not a-" his stomach growled again and his eyes widened. He stood up and ran out of the room.

* * *

We had been waiting for almost two hours. It was starting to get a bit irritating. All the other teams had already been picked up by their Jonin senseis and left. Even Iruka-sensei had gone home.  _'Who leads this team,'_ I thought, drumming my fingers on the desk, watching Naruto pace. I closed my head, concentrating as hard as I could. White hair...a calming voice...a single red eye. That's all I could remember. Would he keep us alive? Could I trust him?

 _'Listen,'_ It said, it's voice unusually gentle.  _'I'm not going to let you die. I want you to live as long as possible. You're fun...interesting. So if you're ever in_ serious danger,  _I'll step in.'_

I stalled my movements and lowered my head to the desk. Once, It had asked me what my greatest wish, and it had promised to help me grant that wish.  _'What will your help cost me?'_ I asked.

 _'Hm, you catch on quickly. You don't have to worry about that while you're alive. Just_ trust  _that I'd rather you didn't die. Can you do that?'_

_'I...I guess so.'_

"Our teacher is a Jonin, an elite shinobi. You really think he'll fall for that?" Sasuke asked, giving Naruto a blank look.

I looked up, watching Naruto put an eraser covered in chalk dust. I snorted and leaned back. "I guess it serves him right for being so late."

Naruto cackled and gave me a thumbs up. We all sucked in a breath when we saw our new sensei's hang poke through the door. He slowly opened it and our eyes all widened. His head poked through, shocking silver hair, and the eraser fell. We all gasped for a second when it boinked him on the head and fell to the ground. I stood with my mouth hanging open as Naruto burst into laughter.

"Ah! I got him! He totally fell for it!" Naruto yelled. I probably should have been more embarrassed, but I covered my mouth with my hand to keep the laughter inside my chest.

Our sensei looked at us all for a second, before bending down to pick up the eraser. He turned it over in his hands a few times, blinking slowly. He reminded me of an old, lazy dog. "How can I put this...?" he paused and rubbed the back of his neck. "My first impression of this group..." he stopped again and rubbed his chin. "Well, you're all a bunch of idiots," he said, putting his hands in his pockets. The air in the room changed instantly when it sunk in that our teacher had actually said that. Even Sasuke seemed put out. "Hmm, meet me on the roof in five minutes." He made a hand sign and disappeared, leaving us all a bit stunned.

"That's...our Jonin sensei?" I asked slowly.

* * *

After trecking up to the roof, we all sat down on the stone steps, facing our teacher. "Alright, introduce yourself," he said gesturing vaguely in our direction, not even looking at us. "One at a time."

"Introduce ourselves?" I asked, scrunching my eyebrows together. "How? We've known each other for years, and you should have been given a dossier about each of us. What is there really  _to say_?"

He held his hands out to his side in a half-shrug, still not turning in our direction. "Talk about things you like, things you  _don't_ like, any hobbies you have, dreams for the future. Things like that."

"Why don't you tell us stuff first," Naruto suggested. "I mean, before we talk, you should tell us about you. So we can see how it's supposed to work."

He pointed at himself, looking  _slightly_ confused. "Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate? Meh, I don't feel like telling you that."

"Huh?" Naruto and I said in unison, squinting our eyes.

"My dreams for the future...I never really thought about it. As for my hobbies, I have lots of hobbies."

I turned to Naruto who seemed just as confused as I was. "All he told us...was his name," I said.

"Yeah, seriously, what's with this guys?" Naruto whispered.

"Okay, you turn," Kakashi said. "You on the right, you first."

"Believe it! I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant ramen in a cup and I really like the ramen that Iruka-sensei bought for me at the Ichiraku ramen shop. But I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the ramen in the ramen cup. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them. And my dream for the future...is the be the greatest Hokage ever! Then the whole village will finally stop disrespecting me! And they'll treat me like I'm somebody important!"

Kakashi shrugged. "Alright, next," he said.

I looked at Sasuke for a second, and he shook his head subtly. "Alright! I'm Hitomi Fukumura. I like studying clan history with my brother and also I like to learn about my family's business. I dislike bullies and arrogant people in general as well as snakes and rats. My hobbies are drawing, training, reading, and studying. My dream to the future is...well I guess my dream is to learn about everything the world has to offer." I finished with a smile.

"Ah!" Naruto pointed at me, his eyes going wide. "Hitomi! You cut your hear!"

"You  _just_ noticed?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah..." I sighed, closing my eyes sadly. "I figured, now that I was a Kunoichi, I shouldn't have hair as long as I did. I didn't want it to get caught in something.

"Any _ways,"_ Kakashi-sensei interrupted. "You, finish us off," he said to Sasuke.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha," he said blandly. "I  _hate_ a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream. It's an ambition, and I  _will_ make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan and  _kill_ a certain someone."

We all sat there in silence for a while. Naruto and I both looked stunned, and admittedly I was totally freaked out. Kakashi-sensei looked like he couldn't have cared less. The only thing that gave him away was a slight twitch in his finger. Not that it was very surprising. Why  _wouldn't_ Sasuke want to kill Itachi after what he'd done?  _I_ wanted to kill Itachi, for inadvertently hurting my brother. But I knew it wasn't  _about_ me, or my brother, it was about Sasuke and everything he'd lost.

I looked away from Sasuke. I didn't know what to say.

"Good," Kakashi said, breaking the silence. "You're all unique and you all have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow."

Naruto cheered "Yes! What is it?!" He asked excitedly, fiddling with his headband.

"It's a task...that the four of us will do together."

"What? What? What?  _What?!"_

"A Survival exercise."

"Huh?" Naruto seemed confused. "A survival exercise?"

"Ah, I think I understand," I said. I looked at the other two. "My brother said that before becoming officially part of a squad, we have to pass our Jonin sensei's personal test. Otherwise...you get sent back to the academy. Or you can enter the Genin corps."

"Hmm, you're correct," Kakashi-sensei said.

Naruto and Sasuke both looked outraged. Kakashi started laughing darkly, shaking his head. "Of the 27 graduates in your class, only nine will be accepted as Genin. In other words, this is a make it or break it pass or fail test. Meaning, the chances that you three will fail is at least, 66%." He turned to me, eyes boring into my  _soul._ "Did your brother tell you  _that?"_

"Ah...no sir," I said swallowing thickly. "He didn't."

"That's crazy!" Naruto yelled. "We worked so hard to get here, believe it! What was that graduation test for anyway?!"

"Oh, that?" Kakashi said flippantly. "That was just to select candidates who might become Genin. Or not."

"What?!"

"That's just how it is.  _I_ decide if you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at five tomorrow morning. Make sure to remember your ninja gear."

I tightened my hands, gripping onto the stone steps I was sitting on.  _'I can't fail, if I do, I'll never be able to get any stronger. I'll be a sitting duck! I'll die for sure!'_

Kakashi turned around, putting his foot on the railing. "That's it, your dismissed," he said with a wave, starting to push off. "Oh, wait, don't eat breakfast or else...you'll be sick." He said, turning back, his eyes dancing with a maniacal glee at the frightened looks we gave him. Then he gave us a peace sign and jumped to the next roof, leaving us to stew in our own thoughts.

* * *

The next morning, I pulled myself out of bed at four so I could do my morning stretches and get dressed. I grumbled as I shifted around the house. Hikaru had left on a mission the night before, Yuuto had gone to a nearby town to talk business, so I was home alone. "That's it," I said, glaring at the moon that was starting to set. "I hate him. I hate Kakashi-sensei and his stupid test."

 _'Do you remember this?'_  It asked. I stopped dead in my tracks, not sure if I should or not.  _'You know what, don't worry about it. Eat an apple before you leave.'_

_'But Kakashi-sensei said not to eat or we'd throw up.'_

_'Just eat the damn fruit,'_ It sounded exasperated. ' _Are you really the type of ninja who'd go on a mission without eating first?'_

 _"No, no, I guess you're right.'_ I grabbed one and shrugged, biting into it. I left the house, waving hello to two clan elders who were just finishing their morning prayers. I threw the core away in a random trash bin and continued on my way to training field seven. Sasuke and Naruto arrived at the same time I did. I looked down at my watch. 4:49. We were right on time.

"You don't think he's going to be late, do you?" Naruto asked, sitting next to me in the dewy grass.

"No, I don't think so. It's one thing to be late to something someone else set up, it's another thing  _entirely_ to be late to something you scheduled yourself."

"Yeah, you're right."

I yawned loudly and stretched backward. "Good morning, Sasuke," I greeted the sullen boy.

"Hn," he responded. But it was a  _verbal_ response. So that was a win.

I laid down and the three of us waited.

And waited.

And  _waited for hours._ He didn't actually show up until about 10:30.

"Hey there!" He said, appearing in front of us with a puff of smoke.

"You're late!" Naruto and I yelled, jumping up.

"Sorry," Kakashi said, not sounding sorry at all. "A black cat crossed my path, and I had to take the long way around." 


	6. Chapter 6

This test was strange. After Kakashi had given us the go-ahead to start attacking him, we'd all sprung in opposite directions. A genin fighting against a Jonin? It was like a death match between an ant and a bulldozer. Not fair at all. If he didn't want a team, why'd he joined the program in the first place? I sighed, sitting against the tree I'd sat myself on and thought. It didn't matter how I sliced it, there was no way I could fight Kakashi-sensei on my own. There was no way _any_ of us would even _land a punch_ by ourselves. If we wanted a chance at winning, we'd have to work together.

The problem, there were only two bells. No matter how good we did, one of us would be out of the team. But we'd _all_ be sent back if we didn't rally to some kind of common goal. I thought about it. If I showed potential during this test, Kakashi would note it in whatever report he gave about us. I _could_ test into the Genin corps if Kakashi-sensei wrote me a letter of recommendation. It wouldn't be the end of the world. Naruto and Sasuke...they had actual goals. What did I have? A vague idea about wanting to be strong. I could do that. It'd be alright. My career as a ninja wasn't over.

So I went looking. The hardest person to convince was Sasuke, so I'd start with him. I found him crouched in a tree, watching Kakashi and Naruto duke it out. Well, _Naruto_ was fighting, Kakashi-sensei was reading a book. Sasuke spun around and struck me with a hard punch to the gut. I gasped and stumbled backward. "Wait!" I whispered intensely. I held my hands up in surrender and he stopped just short of knocking my teeth down my throat with a punch to the jaw. "Just a minute and thirty seconds, that's all I ask."

He sneered and rolled his eyes. "I don't have time for this, I'm trying to get a bell."

"Yes, that _is_ the mission," I said. "Sasuke-san, please...just thirty seconds then."

He sighed deeply and gave me a bit more attention, though it was minimal. "What is it?"

"I think you, Naruto, and I should all work together," I said. I could already see him starting to protest. So I kept talking. "You've heard of Kakashi Hatake, haven't you? He's an elite Jonin, but not only that, he's _the elite_ of the elite. One Genin going against him doesn't stand a chance. It's not a secret that you have the highest PA scores in our entire class. You're the best at Ninjutsu out of all 27 students. But even you couldn't take him one on one. I think if we worked together we might stand a chance."

"What about dead last?" Sasuke asked, gesturing with a thumb to Naruto, who was trying to land hits on Kakashi, and failing. "Are you planning to take the bell from him?"

"No," I said. I rubbed my forehead with the heel of my palm. "If we get the bells in time, I would let you and Naruto have them."

"Tch, what are _you_ hoping to get out of this?" He asked me snidely.

"Look, we've been given an impossible mission, and we need to accomplish it. Just like on the battler field, but unlike there, we get to go home if we make a mistake. This is training for when we're really out there. Your and Naruto...well I think you deserve it. I'm hoping that if I perform well here, Kakashi-sensei will write me a recommendation for the Genin corps."

"You'd really be okay with that?" He asked, not bothering to hide how pathetic he thought it was.

"No...but I think Naruto and you suit Shinobi life better than I could. Besides, that's not really the _end_ it would just take me a bit longer before I was able to do field work."

He sat there and looked at me for a few minutes before shrugging. "Fine, I hope you have a plan," he said.

"Kind of..." I looked back at Naruto, who was thrown into the river. "Meet us three hundred yards north, we'll be there in two minutes," I said before darting out of the trees. I heard Kakashi make a soft sound of surprise. I dove into the water and grabbed Naruto around the middle and used chakra to burst through the water. I pulled him out and I grabbed him by the wrist, and dragged him into the woods.

"Hey, what's going on?!" He asked, shaking his head, whipping water all around us. "Thanks for the help Hitomi, but I didn't need it!"

"Naruto..." I said, dolefully. "You don't have to do this on your own. I'm your friend, I want to help you, don't you believe that?" I asked. He shifted uncomfortably. "Never mind, listen, Naruto. Sasuke agreed to help us fight Kakashi-sensei for the bells."

"He _did?"_

"It's called enlightened self-interest. Come on, we have to find him at the meetup point," I said, gesturing north. The two of us ran as fast as we could to the spot I'd directed Sasuke to meet us. He was already there because _of course,_ he was.

"Your plan?" He asked stiffly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Great, okay. So We have..." I looked down at my watch. "An hour, to get the bells from Kakashi-sensei. So here's a _basic_ plan that I came up with. Naruto, you're loud, and you have more chakra than either Sasuke or I. I suggest you act as a distraction. Keep attacking him, keep his eyes on you."

Naruto laughed, putting his hands on his hips. "I've got this!"

"Great!" I said, giving him a high five. "Sasuke, you're the best at Ninjutsu do you know any powerful ones?" I asked.

He smirked at me as if saying 'what a stupid question' and nodded. "I know a few that would put even that guy on his guard."

"Great, if you could, while Naruto is hitting him, attack from the air, so he doesn't know where to look." I knelt down and outlined the battlegrounds with a stick in the mud. I pointed to the spot that was the river. "While the two of you are doing that, I will be hiding underwater. Try to push Kakashi towards the water. When I see the opportunity, I'll rush him and make a grab for the bells. Assuming that doesn't work, Sasuke will make the next attempt at the bells while I join Naruto in the Taijutsu fight."

"So essentially, we're just planning to overwhelm him."

"Yes...but like I said, it's just a basic plan. If anyone has anything else to suggest that would work better then..."

"No," Sasuke said, smirking. "This might actually work."

* * *

Naruto was _good_ at distracting people. "Hey!" He yelled, launching at Kakashi with a kick, that was easily blocked. "I'm going to get those bells! Just you wait!" He twisted to the side and tried a punch, that was just as easily blocked. Naruto made his shadow clones, I counted seven, that were all attacking Kakashi at once, all being blocked. It was kind of _awesome_. I made sure Kakashi was facing the opposite direction before using the Justsu my brother had taught me. I slipped into the water as quietly and quickly as I could, watching for the right moment.

Sasuke burst through the trees, launching a blazing fire towards Kakashi that sent him jumping back. ' _Not yet,'_ I thought, narrowing my eyes. Naruto and Sasuke worked together, driving him closer and closer. Sasuke jumped between the two trees, blowing fire, while Naruto threw punch after punch, clone after clone popping into existence every time one poofed away. Kakashi's foot touched the very edge of the bank. _'NOW!'_ I jumped out of the water, reaching for a bell. I managed to wrap my hands around one before Kakashi grabbed me by the hair and threw me away from him. I held the bell up, showing Sasuke who nodded and _dove_ for the next one.

I tucked the bell into my weapon pouch and rushed as fast as I could at Kakashi, joining Naruto in the punch barrage. I backed up, taking out my kunai, and threw them in a wide arch. He grunted and stepped back, right into Sasuke's waiting hands. Sasuke grabbed the bell and jumped away from Kakashi. He flipped and landed next to me. Naruto cheered and ran over to us.

I was breathing heavily. "Good job," I said to Sasuke and Naruto when we'd regrouped.

"You're plan worked!" Naruto yelled, smacking me on the back. I laughed and wiped the water and sweat off my face.

"Hmph," Sasuke smirked, but his chest was puffed out in pride. "Not bad," he offered to the two of us.

"Yes, good job," Kakashi said, closing his book and putting it in his pouch. We all looked up when we heard the timmer ring loudly. "And right on time." He looked at Sasuke and me who were holding bells. "Good plan, using Naruto as a distraction to get the bells. As I said, those that had the bells at the end passed and got lunch. Naruto on the other hand-"

"Wait," I said, still gasping for air. "Naruto..." I grabbed his hand and placed the bell in the center of his palm. I closed his hand around it, looking down at the ground. "You deserve to pass," I said. "So take the bell, and become the Hokage, just like you said you would. Make me proud." I pulled away and laced my hands together.

"No!" Naruto protested, eyes going wide. He roughly grabbed my arm and thrust the bell into my hand. "You're the one who came up with the plan in the first place! You can't...you can't give that up!"

"It's alright," I said, pushing the bell back in his direction. "I can join the corps, or try again for a team next year. You have more ambition than me to be a ninja! You have a real goal! You fought tooth and nail to be here! You deserve this!" I was screaming at him by the end.

"So do you!" He yelled back, shoving the bell back. "You deserve to be a ninja just as much as me! You worked so hard for _years_ to get the scores you did!"

"Naruto! Scores don't matter out in the real world! Take the bell!"

"NO!"

"YES! NARUTO DON'T BE STUBBORN!"

Sasuke snorted quietly. "'Don't be stubborn' that's rich coming from _you_ ," he said. We both glared daggers at him and he walked over to us. He took the bell and pressed mine and Naruto's hands together. He tied to string around our pinkies. "There...now you both have the bells."

"Excuse me," Kakashi said, waving his hand to get out attention. We looked at him with wide eyes and he sauntered lazily over to us. "As fun as this is, if you can't make a decision about who gets to be an official part of my Genin team, I will." We all looked at him hesitantly. He huffed and I thought I could see he was smiling. "You pass."

"Uh...what?" Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side. "Who...passes?" He asked.

"You all do, you passed my test."

We all looked at each other for a second, still too confused to let it sink in. "But..." I looked between the three of us. "You said..."

"I know what I said," he turned around and gestured with his head for us to follow him. "Come with me, I want to show you something."

Naruto and I untied ourselves and the three of us followed Kakashi back towards the posts. He stood in front of a carved stone monument and I shifted uncomfortably. "Do you know what this stone is?" He asked.

"Yes..." I said, at the same time that Naruto and Sasuke answered 'no.'

"Did you see the names of all the people engraved on it. They are all ninja, who are honored as heroes to our village," Kakashi said.

"That's it!" Naruto declared, balling his hands up in excitement. " _I'm_ going to be on that stone someday! Just you wait!"

I closed my eyes and looked away from him, wrapping my arms around my body. Kakashi continued, running his fingers along the black stone. "These are a special _kind_ of hero. They were _all_ KIA."

"Oh~" Naruto said, eyes glowing. "That sounds awesome...wait...what's KIA mean."

"It means killed in action," I answered slowly, watching Naruto deflate when the realization hit him. "These people were all heroes, who died in the line of duty, in service to the village."

"This is a memorial stone," he said. "The names of my closest friends are engraved here." He turned back to us, his hands behind his back. "On every mission, your life is on the line. Missions in Konoha are carried out in squads, yes, you must have individual skills. But teamwork...that's what's most important. Those who disobey the rules, they're scum. That's true but...those who abandon their friends are _worse_ than scum."

"So this was...a test of our teamwork?" I asked.

"Among other things, yes. Your abilities were important, but if you couldn't use those abilities to work together, what was the point against an opponent who could take you out with a swipe of their hand."

"And so..." Sasuke prompted.

"You worked together and came up with a plan that _worked._ You have potential. So...everyone passes, congratulations. Team seven starts its first mission tomorrow!" He gave us a thumbs up, nodding once. Sasuke gave us a slightly friendlier smirk than before. I started cheering, jumping up and down. And Naruto started tearing up.

He was jumping up and down, tears streaming down his face, screaming: "I'm a ninja!" Over and over again.

"But first...let's share some lunch," Kakashi-sensei said, producing four bento boxes and a blanket for us to sit on. We all sat down and he handed them out. Rice and fish had _never_ tasted so good. We were quiet for a while, as Sasuke, Naruto, and I dug into our food like wild animals. When we were about half-way finished light conversation started picking up again.

"Hey, Hitomi," Naruto said, getting my attention. He had rice sticking on his face. "How did you know about the memorial stone?"

I stopped eating. I looked down at my food and thought about the best way to answer that. The truth was the obvious choice. "That's because...my brother and I come here every month, to pay our respects." I sighed and closed the bento. "The names of my parents, as well as many of my relatives are written on that stone. They were all killed, during the Kyuubi attack twelve years ago." You could the tension with a knife. I smiled at Naruto and touched his arm. "Don't worry, you didn't know," I said.

When we finished our food, we packed up our picnic spot, and Kakashi decided that we should all walk home together. Sasuke was first to be dropped off, then Naruto, and finally me. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," I said, unlocking my door. A few elderly women were chatting by the pond.

"Mind in if I come in with a cup of tea?" He asked.

I looked at him for a second before holding the door open for him. "I'm home," I called out to the empty house. There was no response, not that I was expecting one. I led Kakashi into my kitchen and pulled out two cups, setting them down on the table. I filled the kettle up and put it on the stove. "I assume you wanted to talk about something?"

"You'd be right," he said. "I guess I was just curious about how your clan has been doing lately. I know you lost...many people during the attack."

"Yes, that's correct." The water started to boil, so I poured the hot water in the two cups. "Sorry, we only have blackberry tea. I guess I should ask someone to go shopping."

"That's fine," he said. "It's good to see that your family has been doing better in the shipping trade. But, are you and your brother the only two ninja in your family?"

"Yep," I said, mixing the tea together. I took a drink of mine. "They all died twelve years ago. There are two kids who are in their first year of the academy. So I guess they'll be next. It's been slow going, but we've been rebuilding the best we can, considering."

"Yes...that attack left the Fukumura clan in tatters. I'm sure you must be very angry about it, at the Kyuubi in particular."

I didn't say anything at first. "Why are you asking me those kinds of questions?" I asked him. He didn't answer either. "No, I'm not angry. My remaining relatives however... _yes._ They've lost their children, their grandchildren, their siblings." He hummed and circled his finger around the edge of his cup. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Alright...are you asking me that because Naruto had the Kyuubi sealed inside of him?"

 _'Way to be blunt, idiot,'_ It said, sounding like it had just died on the inside.

Kakashi snapped his head up and looked at me. I couldn't decipher that look in his eyes. "Who told you?" He damnded.

"No one...but you just confirmed it."

He didn't look amused.

"Naruto, born on the same day that the Kyuubi attacked the village, and from my reading, it seems that children take to becoming containers better than adults do. Not only that, but everyone in the village fifteen and over actively hates him, and he's the _sweetest_ person I've ever met. My own family told me to stay away from him. I doubt they're going to be happy when they find out we're on the same team. If you're worried about me holding a grudge against Naruto, don't...we're friends. We've been friends since we were little kids."

"You understand that this isn't information you're allowed to talk about."

"Of course, Kakashi-sensei," I said.

"There's also the matter of your own...roommate," he said.

"Oh, that," I chugged the rest of my tea. "Yeah, I guess it makes sense that you know about that. I assume that's somewhere on my records."

"The two Jonin who witnessed the sealing were in a _state_ afterward. They ran to tell the Hokage as soon as they were released for the day." He rested his chin against his hand on the table. "It's something of an open secret in Konoha, though most people don't believe that It's real."

"Should I be worried about that?" I asked.

"Not yet. But I would suggest exercising caution. The old regent of the clan had to give all existing information about this creature over to the Hokage. At one point they considered killing you." He must have seen my eyes widen in horrified shock because he continued quickly. "The order was never issued, obviously because you're still alive. But...they still don't quite understand what It is. So some people are still a bit...nervous."

"Are you allowed to be telling me that?" I asked.

"Probably not."

"I...what do I do?" I asked.

"Make sure that you don't make yourself an enemy of the village, I guess. The powers of this...Shinra Banshu...learn to use them. Keep in control. I will help you the _best_ I can. As your sensei, that's my job, after all."

I smiled shakily. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," I said.

He left soon after that. It was werid, I hadn't seen him take off his mask, but his tea was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I'm not dead lol

I packed a light pack and left early the next morning for training ground 7. Sasuke was leaving his house around the same time, so we met up and walked silently together. When we got there, we could see Naruto running towards us, waving his hands excitedly. He stopped and bent down, hands on his knees breathing deeply. "Good morning, Naruto," I said.

"Hn," Sasuke greeted. He put his pack down and leaned against rails of the bridge. "Think he'll be late again?" He asked.

I laughed, smacking my knee. "Are you kidding, if he's ever on time, it's a guarantee that he's a fake."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and shook his head. I got the feeling he was going to do that a lot. I shrugged and sat down, pulling my legs up to my chest. I wasn't sure what we could really do. Naruto paced around, grumbling about Kakashi-sensei telling us to be there at seven in the morning, but not bothering to meet us there. I had to admit, it was very irresponsible. I closed my eyes, letting the morning breeze wash over me. I wished that it was colder in Konaha sometimes. It was the end of January, and it felt like a slightly chilly spring morning.

'Hey, quit sitting around. You're wasting your training time!' It snapped at me when I went on another internal monologue about the weather. 'Get off your tiny ass and train!'

'Hey!' But despite my annoyance, I pulled myself up from the ground. I guess It was right. We'd have an hour free at the least. "Hey, you guys," I said, walking over to them. "We should spar, while we're waiting for Kakashi-sensei."

So we sparred. First, it was Sasuke versus Naruto, then Naruto versus me, and finally me versus Sasuke. Sasuke won all his matches, so Naruto and I teamed up against him for the last match and managed to beat him together. It laid out a pretty good diagram of our strengths and weaknesses. I made sure to write it down in my journal what I needed to work on.

Kakashi showed up two and a half hours later. "You're late!" Naruto yelled.

"Sorry, I got lost on the road of life," Kakashi said, waving at us. "Come on you three, we've got to go pick up a mission." We fell in line behind him, me in the lead, Sasuke taking up the rear. I noticed, when we walked into the Hokage's office, that a few shinobi were laughing at some inside joke. I looked up at Kakashi who was leading us, reading his book. Maybe we did look a bit silly. He stopped suddenly and I ran into his back with a soft 'oof.' Naruto ran into me, and fell backward. Sasuke was the only one who avoided the trap.

"Welcome team seven," the Hokage said, holding a list. "There are several missions here for your team to choose from. First, a mission for dog walking. Next, babysitting at the local daycare while the orderly is out sick. Last, delivering mail through the village."

"Hmm," Kakashi thought for a second. "Hitomi, why don't you pick the mission this time?" Kakashi suggested. "Then, Naruto next time. Sasuke, the time after that."

"Alright..." I thought about it. "How about...the dogs."

"Good choice," the Hokage said. A Chunin got out a mission scroll and handed it to Kakashi who said nothing.

"Let's go," Kakashi said, ushering us out of the office.

Dog walking...may have been a mistake. I watched Naruto wrestle with the largest cutie I'd ever seen in my life. A huge fluffy monster that just wanted to be loved. But he wanted to be loved off his leash, which was making Naruto's job very difficult. I looked down at the peppy little man that I'd chosen as my charge for the day. He was short and looked vaguely like a corgi. He waited patiently by my feet and yipped at the dog Sasuke was watching, who barked back. Both of their tails started whipping around.

"Naruto, please be more careful," I called out when the dog knocked him over and started dragging him through the road, finally free. I saw Naruto make a hand sign and four of him poofed into existence. All the Naruto's lifted the dog in the air, carrying him. I laughed at the look on Naruto's face when the dog licked him. "Come on, we're almost done."

We walked, in Naruto's case carried, the dogs for another block before returning them to their owner. An elderly woman who thanked us with tea. Kakashi-sensei hadn't helped us during the mission but had accepted the tea anyways. He seemed oblivious to the glares we'd sent his way. We left to go give a mission report. Luckily, we only had to give it verbally. When we started doing more complicated missions, we'd have to write them out. In excruciating detail.

"Do you three want to go get lunch?" I asked.

"Sure! If it's ramen," Naruto offered.

"I'll skip out this time, kiddos," Kakashi-sensei said, before disappearing.

"What about you, Sasuke?" I asked, putting my hands in my pockets. He more or less just followed us to the ramen stand without giving an answer one way or the other. Sasuke and I were mostly focused on our food, while Naruto chattered with the two workers. It was good food. I even ordered an extra egg. I don't think I could have eaten it daily like it seemed Naruto did, but I wouldn't mind going there every other week or so.

When we parted ways I walked alone back to my home. Like normal, the compound was mostly empty. I honestly didn't see the point of even having a compound when there was only like fifteen to twenty people living there. I got a feeling that it was more of a status symbol than an actual necessity. I opened the door to my home and ducked my head in. "I'm home!" I called out.

"Ah, welcome back, Hitomi-sama," one of the maids called from the kitchen. We had five women working around the entire compound. They made a little more sense. Most of the people living in the compound were elderly people. Kikio Siato was the one who worked for our family personally. She was twenty-five years old and totally gorgeous. Long black hair she kept tied into a high ponytail, dark eyes, and freckled skin. "How was your first mission?" She asked.

"It was fine," I said with a shrug, putting my bag on the table. "We just walked a few dogs around the village for a few hours. Our team made 5,000 Ryo from it, so it was fine. We split it as evenly as we could."

"Ah, that's a lot," she said, eyes wide.

"We all got about 1600 Ryo each. We gave the rest to Sensei for being there. I'm spending 500 on gear and stuff. Also, I have to pay clan tithes and taxes. By the end, I'll have about 500 Ryo left for myself. My missions won't really be paying me much until we start doing harder stuff. It's fine though, this is basically just training anyway."

"Still, I'll make you something special tonight, to celebrate your first mission."

"Thank you, Kiko-san," I said. "I have to go organize my gear. Please come tell me when it's ready!" I said, giving her a short wave. I slipped into my room and closed the door behind me. Out of habit, I left it unlocked. I laid out everything in my bag and frowned at the mess. Why were they so many steamed bun wrappers from the convenience store? I threw them away and made sure all the necessary things were packed away. I knew that a ninja could be called away from the village at any point in time, and didn't want to risk being unprepared, no matter how unlikely it was that I'd be going on any missions outside of the village for a while.

I stopped my aimless cleaning when I noticed one of my journals sticking out slightly from my bookcase. I opened my door, sticking my head out. "Kiko-san?" I called.

"Yes?" She answered from the kitchen.

"Did you clean my room today?" I asked.

"No...did you want me to?" She asked.

"No, that's alright, I was just curious." I closed the door and dropped to my knees, my heart hammering in my chest. I pulled my journals out of the bookcase and looked around, and cursed. The scroll that held my ancestor's story was gone. I knew I should have kept it safer. I grabbed the books that spilled out and slammed them back into place, cursing. I rubbed my face, looking at my window. It was closed, like always. I pushed the green curtains out of the way and looked at the glass. Not a single smudge from fingers or anything. Who could I tell about the scroll being stolen? Kakashi-sensei maybe.

I'd have to, but the question was, how? I'd have to bribe him so I could get him alone, away from Naruto or Sasuke. I could just go to his house, but that would be kind of weird to show up unannounced. Then again, so was someone breaking into my room and taking the scroll. If I just put it on Kakashi's radar, he might be able to do something about it.

I had no idea how to actually find Kakashi, so I went around town asking a few shinobi that I saw. I just happened to 'bump' into him after a few minutes of that. He gave me an unimpressed stare. "Couldn't wait to spar until tomorrow morning, huh?" He asked me, hands in his pockets.

"I did something stupid," I said quietly. "I don't think we should talk about it here," I said. "Would you like to come over for a bit of dinner? I think it's Miso soup tonight."

He scratched his chin. "I guess I could be convinced to eat some," he said.

I led Kakashi back to my house and looked around. Kiko was already gone for the night. I closed the door behind him and locked it. I let him sit down at the table. I spooned us two bowls of soup, placing one in front of him. I sat across from him and tapped my fingers against the table. "Alright, I'm just going to say it. There was a scroll from one of my ancestors, the first container of the Shinra Banshou. It held the history of the spirit. It was given to me when I was a child. I put it behind my a few books in my room and forgot about it. But I noticed...that they were out of place. I hadn't touched any of them for months, and one of them looked like it had been put back hastily. I looked...and the scroll was gone. Someone broke into my house and stole it."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

I nodded. "No one but Yuuto and I even knew it existed."

He laced his fingers together tightly and glowered at me. "I don't need to tell you that you should have known better, do I?" He asked me, a hard edge to his voice.

"No, sensei," I whispered, lowering my head.

"I will inform the Hokage about this development. You are going to search your house and destroy anything mentioning the spirit," he ordered. I didn't bother arguing with him. He stood up and walked closer to me, resting his hand lazily on the top of my head. "I will see you tomorrow bright and early, seven o'clock sharp."

"Alright, Kakashi-sensei."

He took the entire bowl of soup that time when he disappeared.

I did as he told me, even going so far as to destroy my own notes about It. Kakashi didn't offer me any new information and I didn't think it was appropriate to ask him anything yet. We continued to train, take missions, and live our lives like normal. Hikaru and Yuuto both returned three weeks after I'd become an official member of team seven. Hikaru spared with me out in the yard. He seemed proud that I'd gotten stronger since the last time he'd seen me. I guess all that sparring with Naruto and Sasuke had paid off.

We walked up to the mission desk and the Hokage was offering us a list of inane chores when Naruto snapped. Iruka-sensei snapped back, but in the end, we wound accepting a C ranked mission from a bridge builder. It seemed like it would pretty easy. We were just escorting him back to his country and protected him while he built the bridge. Tazuna. 'I've heard that name before I think,' I thought while I packed my mission bag. I flipped my new ID over in my hands. It was lucky they'd been finished, or we wouldn't have been able to leave the village.

It was a requirement that all Shinobi and Kunoichi carried one of those with them while they were outside of their village. It had your picture and basic information like your name, age, ID number, and your rank. Underneath all that was a single sentence in very small print. 'Official clearance for all necessary actions.' It was a literal license to kill. It was a bit unnerving, slipping it into my bag.

"You're going to the Land of Waves?" Yuuto asked, opening my door, scaring the shit out of me.

"Yes! God, what if I'd been changing?! You should knock!" I said, zipping my shoes up.

"Sorry," he at least seemed a bit embarrassed. "I was hoping I could talk you out of it," he confessed. "You know who controls that entire country right?" He asked.

"No...but you better tell me," I said.

"Goodness, Hitomi, you need to pay more attention," he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Gato! That's who's running that place. You know our biggest shipping rival! Starting to ring any bells?!"

"Oh...yeah." That was the man that Yuuto would sometimes rant about. He was a monster who shipped drugs and people around the world along with the normal products that let him keep his company open. There was no proof, however, so no one could do anything about it. Maybe I should have been more worried about stepping into the proverbial jaws of my family's enemy. "We're just escorting a man home," I said. "I'll stay out of Gato's way."

Yuuto breathed a sigh of relief. "Good...good." He still didn't look quite appeased. "Just...make sure he doesn't find out you're there, or he might try and hurt you. To get to your brother and I. He'd make us pay a king's ransom to get you back."

"I'll be fine," I said. "Kakashi-sensei is going with us, and trust me when I say that nothing gets by him."

"That's very true, your sensei is a very strong person. Ugh, I was like this when your brother went on his first mission out of the village. Forgive this old man for worrying too much."

I chuckled and hugged him around the middle. "Forty isn't that old, you've still got a few decades to worry about us!"

We met up at the gates to the village. Sasuke and I were the only ones on time. "Are you excited to be leaving the village?" I asked, smiling at him. He shrugged and I laughed. "It's fine, I'm sure Naruto can be excited enough for all of us."

"Tch," he snorted and crossed his arms.

We waited another twenty minutes before Naruto showed up and another thirty for Kakashi-sensei and the client to arrive, then we were off. Out to the big, wide, world. I wanted to sing, I was so excited. I'd seen nothing but the inside of the village my entire (second) life and it was amazing to be able to finally be going somewhere new.

"Ah!" Naruto yelled, throwing his arms up in the air, sharing in my excitement. "Our first real mission!"

"Yeah!" I cheered, giving him a high-five.

Our client sneered at the two of us and looked at Kakashi. "Am I really supposed to trust these two? They're jokes!"

Naruto and I stopped celebrating and turned to glare at the crusty old man who was drenched in booze. Kakashi laughed, trying to put him at ease. "Don't worry, they're with me and I'm a Jonin."

I looked over at Naruto and could already see that the bridge builder's words were echoing in his head. I grabbed him by the sleeve. "Listen...don't forget we're getting paid for this," I said, before letting him go. "We can't let this old coot rain on our parade. We're allowed to be excited about leaving the village for the first time."

"Hmph," Naruto didn't look happy, but he agreed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking about doing a complete re-wright of what I have so far before I keep going. I might wait until I've finished the Wave Mission Arc before doing so. I've got a lot of problems with this fic that I want to fix. I won't be deleting it or anything, just revamping.

The novelty of being out of the village wore off pretty quickly. Naruto and Sasuke kept taking jabs at each other, and Naruto would normally fly off the handle. Then our  _client-_ the aggravating drunk- kept insulting us. Kakashi-sensei had said that the trip would take about a week going at a civilian pace, it was the end of day two, and I was about to lose it.

"Alright, pair watch rotations, just like last night," Kakashi-sensei said, leaning against a tree. The three of us grumbled but went about our camp chores. Naruto went off to gather firewood, and I was preparing the food while Sasuke cleaned around the campsite, making sure that it was smooth enough to sleep on. There was one tent that Tazuna had brought to sleep in. The four of us had brought bedrolls for ourselves. I helped Sasuke set the rest of camp up when I was finished skinning a rabbit for our dinner.

"Who first?" I asked.

Kakashi-sensei thought about for a second. "Me and Naruto, then me and you, you and Sasuke, then Sasuke and Naruto."

Ah, smart keeping the two who fought the most on the last watch. They'd only have to work together for like two hours and if they couldn't keep it together that long, then it wouldn't be a big deal before most of us would have gotten enough sleep anyways. Naruto came back and Kakashi-sense instructed us on making a campfire that didn't draw attention. We cooked the rabbit and I decided to get some sleep so I could be rested for my watch.

I was out like a light in just a few minutes. I was vaguely aware of Sasuke laying down in his own bedroll before my thoughts slipped away. I found myself floating through my mindscape, but was thankful It didn't feel the need to annoy me while I was trying to sleep. It was relaxing, and I spread my arms out. It felt like I was gliding through cool water.

One thing I thought was really weird about my mindscape, is that I in no resembled the person I used to be in the past. No, even in my subconscious, I was Hitomi Fukumura. Stranger yet, that didn't bother me. I couldn't even remember what my name had been in the past. So why would I care about what I  _looked_ like? It brought a strange sense of peace with it, knowing that the person I'd been was well and truly dead. Hitomi was all that was left. I could be  _me_ and not feel guilty about forgetting the other person. I could let her die, I could let her rest in peace, that would be okay.

I lifted my arms up and reached up to the unending blackness. I formed a triangle and held it over my eye, closing the other. I still couldn't really see anything. I sighed and let my arms fall back to my sides. I closed my eyes, hoping that I'd pass into the next stage of sleep. Eventually, my vision faded and I didn't have to think about anything for a while.

Naruto shook me awake two hours later and flopped down into his bedroll. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, getting up and shambling over to Kakashi-sensei who was reading casually. I yawned and waved at him. "Everything alright?" I asked, sitting next to him, in the dirt.

"So far so good," he said, flipping the page.

I  _wanted_ to ask but knew I shouldn't. Not while there were people around who might overhear. So I didn't. "What's your book about anyway, Kakashi-sensei?" I asked, leaning against the trunk of a tree. I saw his back straighten. I looked at him intensely and narrowed my eyes. "Kakashi-sensei...?"

"..." He closed his book and put it in his bag. "I'm going to teach you how to do a 'short patrol,'" he said, grabbing me by the back of my shirt and hauling me to my feet. The two of us stood to back to back and walked forward twenty paces, then turned sharply and walked forward. Turned again and walked backward until our backs touched again.

"This is pretty obvious," I said, turning my head and looking up at Kakashi-sensei.

"Yes, but it does tend to cause lower-level enemies to spook, it's also a good way to make sure you're alert. Let's do it one more time," he said. I sighed and walked forward, counting my steps carefully, turning at the exact same time as Kakashi. I felt a little silly. Maybe that was the point. When Kakashi was satisfied we sat down and I made tea from our rations. It was bitter and I hated it, but I drank it with little to no gagging. Kakashi-sensei just downed his when my head was turned and shrugged when I gave him an incredulous look. "You get used to it."

"That's...not what I was..." I just stopped and shook my head. "You know what? Never mind, it doesn't matter." I finished my tea. It  _did_ make me feel more alert. So taste was sacrificed for practicality. "So, there's something else I should tell you," I said. I saw give me a resigned glare, shoulders hunching over. "Oh! No, it's not about  _that,_ it's just something Yuuto was worried about. He wanted me to tell you about it."

Kakashi gestured for me to continue, watching me seriously.

"Well, the Fukumura trading company is rivals with the Gato trading company? Have you heard of him?" I asked and Kakashi nodded. "My uncle says that Gato took over the Land of Waves a few years ago. He wants to make sure you're aware of that...I think Yuuto is worried Gato might try to kill me or something. I'm sure it's nothing, but you know...just thought you should know."

"Thank you for informing me of the situation," Kakashi said. "Does Gato know what you look like?" Kakashi asked and sighed in relief when I shook my head. "Good, then I order you not to use your last name for the duration of this mission, for your own protection."

"No problem, Kakashi-sensei," I said giving him a thumbs up.

* * *

We were a day away from the Land of Waves. We were all getting kind of tired of walking, but we were trying to keep quiet about it. We could have been there already if it wasn't for Tazuna who trailed behind us. I was  _so bored,_ which meant that Naruto and Sasuke were getting bored too. I watched them uneasily while they glared at each other. I walked faster and stood in between them before it broke out into a fight. "I spy with my little eyes...something fluffy," I said cheerfully. Sasuke and Naruto looked at me in confusion. I wiggled my eyebrows at them. "Come on, guess," I prompted.

Naruto 'oh'ed and looked around, squinting.

"A cloud," Sasuke said blankly.

I snapped my fingers, pointing at him. "Got it in one," I said. "Your turn, Sasuke," I said.

If he cared that I wasn't being formal with him, he didn't say anything. He rolled his eyes and pressed his lips together. "Something smooth and pointed," he said.

Naruto and I thought for a while and I shrugged. "A...kunai?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

"Yes," Sasuke confirmed.

"Great job, Naruto," I said, smacking him on the back. "Your turn!"

He scratched the side of his face, closing one eye. He suddenly grinned brightly. "I spy...something smooth on one side and rough on the other!"

"Rock," Sasuke said blankly, pointing to a large stone.

"Hey, I guess Sasuke wins," I said with a grin when Naruto confirmed he'd guessed right. "Hm, we could play the story game?" I suggested.

"I'll pass," Sasuke said.

"Well, that's no fun," I grumbled. I thought hard about another game we could all play. "Ah! Here's one, we could use this as a  _sort of_ training exercise," I said. I noticed that Sasuke seemed just a  _bit_ more interested. "It's called two truths and a lie. It's pretty simple, someone says three statements, and the other players have to guess the lie."

"Awesome! Me first!" Naruto threw his hand in the air. He squinted his face up. "One time, I snuck into Iruka-sensei's office and changed my grade. I've once eaten 100 cups of ramen in a single day. And...I have ten potted plants in my apartment."

Sasuke and I looked at each other, clearly thinking. "The part about Iruka-sensei has to be the lie," Sasuke said.

"I think it's the plants," I said.

We both turned back to Naruto who smiled brilliantly. "You're both wrong!" He declared. "The second was a lie!"

" _What?!"_ I gasped. "Naruto! You broke into Iruka-sensei's office?! Did you get caught?!"

"Oh yeah, but not until after Iruka-sensei saw I changed my grade."

I looked at him with a gaping mouth and shook my head. "Hey, Sasuke, you want to go next?" I asked.

"I was born three weeks early. I've broken both my wrists and ankles in a training accident. Tomatoes are my favorite food."

Hm, it was kind of surprising Sasuke actually decided to offer up information about himself.

"Is the last one the lie?" Naruto asked.

"I think it's the second one," I said.

"She got it right," Sasuke said, gesturing to me with his chin.

I was next. "I can touch my nose with my tongue. I can put both legs behind my head and walk on my hands. I can play the flute with my nose."

"I wish those were  _all_ lies," Naruto said, looking disturbed. "Uh...is the second one a lie?" He asked.

"I also think the second one is a lie," Sasuke said.

"Yep, it's the second! I can't do that, but it'd be so cool if I could!"

"I...think we may have a different definition of cool, Hitomi," Naruto said, left eye twitching.

The games ended after that and we walked quietly. I spotted a puddle on the ground and frowned when we passed it. "Did you think we missed the rain?" I asked Sasuke. He looked at me, confused, but his eyes widened when he spotted the puddle. Weird...why was it the only one? I looked behind us, where Kakashi was walking, just as he normally did. I shrugged and turned back around, but touched both Naruto and Sasuke on the arm, gesturing for us to form a semi-circle behind Tazuna, also known as, position two.

The only warning we got was Kakashi-sensei's exclamation of surprise. We spun around just in time to see two men wrap metal chains around him, pull, and shred him into tiny wet and bloody pieces. Naruto and I screamed, but Sasuke was ready with a kunai and a shuriken. He barked 'One!" at us, before jumping in the air. Naruto and I followed his instructions, closing ranks around Tazuna's front, drawing our weapons and getting into a ready position.

The chain swung toward Sasuke and he threw his shuriken through one of the chain loops, and his kunai to permanently stick them to the tree. The two men pulled at their linked gloves, but when they saw there was no escape, they nodded and ripped their gloves away from the chain. They avoided Sasuke and rushed straight towards Naruto and me, who broke away from Tazua to meet them. I kicked one in the face, jumping backward with a flip. Naruto's kunai was knocked out of his hand, and he would have been skewered if Sasuke didn't land a kick to the man's head, knocking him sideways. We regrouped in front of our charge, breathing heavily. The two men were up quickly, rushing at us with pointed claws, in the blink of an eye.

There was a soft footfall before someone wrapped their arms around their neck's knocking them both out instantly. Kakashi-sensei stood there, both men hanging limply in his grasps. "Hey," he said casually.

The mood lifted when we all took it in that our teacher wasn't  _dead. "_ Kakashi-sensei!" I cried out happily, lowering my weapon. "You're alive!" I put my kunai away and looked at the boys. Sasuke's face was sour, and Naruto gazed in total amazement at our teacher.

He looked at the spot where Kakashi-sensei had died and blinked. "You used...the replacement jutsu?" He asked.

"Hm, yep," he said, walking closer to us, enemies still dangling like ducks strung up on a wire. "Good job you three, very smooth. Sasuke, good leading under pressure. And Hitomi, Naruto, good quick thinking to rush at the enemy before they could get to close to the client."

"Hey," Sasuke said, looking to Naruto, a mischievous grin on his face. "You're not  _hurt_  are you? Scaredy cat."

Naruto's face scrunched up in anger. "SASUKE!" He yelled, rushing forward.

" _Naruto!"_ Kakashi-sensei said seriously. "Stay still, these guys have poison in their claws. We need to get it out of your system quickly. You have to open the wound and remove it. It's in your blood, so don't move around, or it'll spread."

Naruto looked down at the hand that'd been scratched with growing horror. His head snapped around, looking at everyone desperately. I reached into my bag and pulled out my first-aid kit, jiggling it around. He looked back at his hand.

"By the way  _Tazuma-san,"_ Kakashi said, his voice dipping down dangerously. "I believe you and I should have a little chat." Kakashi dropped the two ninja to the ground, turning to face the man who took a few quick steps back. "Sasuke, Hitomi, tie them up!" He order. Sasuke and I moved without argument. We didn't want to make him any more agitated than he already was. We dragged them over to a tree and tied them as securely as we could.

"Hey, Sasuke, can you check my knot?" I whispered. Sasuke grumbled but bent down and pulled it and sighed when it came undone. "O-oh."

"Like this," he said, showing me how to tighten it properly.

"Thanks!"

One of the two men snapped his head up and looked at me, causing me to scream and fall backward into Sasuke, who pushed me away, but not hard enough to send me into the dirt.

Kakashi put his hands on his hips, dangerous energy radiating from him. "These two are Chunin from the village hidden in the mist," he said. "They're specialty is relentless attacks. They keep fighting no matter what the sacrifice."

"How did you know about our ambush?" The one who scared me asked.

"A puddle...on a clear day? When it hasn't rained in weeks?" Kakashi rolled his head to the side.

"In that case, why did you leave the kids to do the fighting?" Tazuna demanded, looking somewhat shaken.

"I  _could_ have taken them out quickly, but I wouldn't have learned anything that way. I had to know who their target was." Kakashi glared fiercely at Tazuna. " _And_ what they were after."

"Hm?" Tazua looked stricken. "What are you getting at?!"

"I wanted to know who their target was. My team and I, ninja attacking other ninja. Or if they were after  _you._ The master bridge builder." His face went blank. "When you put in your request, you asked for protection against robbers and highwaymen. You didn't say there were Ninja looking for you. Hunting you down. If we'd known this, it would have been at  _least_ a B ranked mission, probably higher. Our task was simply to get you to your destination and protect you while you finish building your bridge. If we'd known we'd be fielding attacks against enemy ninja, we could have staffed differently and charged for the cost of a B mission.  _Apparently,_ you have your reasons, but lying to us is  _not_ acceptable. We are now  _far_ beyond the scope of this mission."

I didn't say anything. As much as I wanted to go back, I also didn't want to just  _give up_ on our first mission. I glared at Tazuna angrily for putting us in that position. We were  _way_ out of our depth, and the next shinobi that were sent our way, might not go down so easily. "Naruto is injured," I said. "We need to deal with that first,  _then_ we should decide what to do about this mission."

"Hmmm," Kakashi thought, looking over at Naruto who was watching his own hand intently. Naruto noticed we were all looking at him and he hid it behind his back. "Naruto's hand  _could_ become a problem. I'd say we should go back...but we're already six days away. There might not be time to get him to the hospital."

Naruto growled and pulled out at kunai, stabbing through one side of his hand and out through the other. I screamed when I saw the blood gushing out of his hand. I heard both Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke take in deep breaths of shock. Naruto closed his eyes, and grit his teeth in pain. "Naruto! Stop that, what are you doing?" I asked, putting a hand to my chest, against my beating heart.

"I will...never back down again, and make someone else rescue me!" He growled. "I will never run away! This wound, is my pledge, that I will complete this mission and get you home safely!" He turned around, facing us, his eyes blazing in determination. "And don't you worry, I'll be fine."

I sighed, handing a roll of bandages I had in my first-aid kit to Kakashi-sensei when he held his hand open for them. "Uh, Naruto, that was a great speech and all and it was really cool how you took the poison out, but if you bleed anymore you're going to die."

Naruto's scream echoed through the forest, scaring away the birds. Kakashi put a hand over his mouth and grabbed his hand, wrapping it tight enough to stop the blood flow. I sighed and shook my head, giving Sasuke a fond smile. He just rolled his eyes.  _Gods_ he did that a lot.

"You'd better be careful," I said. He raised an eyebrow. "Roll your eyes too much and they'll get stuck like that."

Guess what?

He rolled them harder.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the rating might go up after this. 
> 
> TW for a brief depiction of torture.

Stepping onto land hadn't gone  _great._ Sasuke and I were carrying Kakashi-sensei off the battlefield while Naruto protected our charge. I kept throwing dirty looks at the drunk old man. Tazuna pretended not to notice. His daughter was a sweet, and beautiful woman. She invited us in, and helped me set Kakashi-sensei up in a room. She took out her med-kit and quickly educated me about how to bandage wounds and treat internal injuries when there wasn't proper equipment around.

"Right, make sure you bandage his head like this," she said, guiding my hands. She showed me how to wrap someone's head without cutting off circulation. "Perfect." She touched my shoulder with delicate fingers. "Would you like me to bring your dinner up here?" She asked.

"Yes please," I said softly. I scooted closer to my teacher and gently took his hand in mine. I couldn't help but be worried about him. He'd fought tooth and nail to keep us all alive. He'd almost  _died_ and I couldn't help but think that Zabuza wasn't finished with us.

' _I'd advise you to try and remember this arc,'_ It said, interrupting my thoughts.  _'It's really important...but you've already forgotten, haven't you?'_ It asked.

"No...no I remember...a beautiful boy who would do anything for the people close to him," I said. I blinked and rubbed my temples. "And...Gato...he's a liar. He's going to betray them. They'll die."

 _'Yes, good,'_ It hissed.  _'Focus on that.'_

I looked back down at Kakashi-sensei. He looked strangely delicate in his exhausted state. Like a stiff breeze would be enough to shatter him like glass. I knew that he didn't  _need_ my protection, but I still felt that instinct. I placed my hand on top of his forehead and brushed back his silver hair. I wasn't going to take his mask off, I knew that would be a  _huge_ violation of trust and personal boundaries. But I  _did_ pinch his cheeks. They weren't chubby, which was disappointing, but they were still soft. He was very handsome. I understood why so many women fell head over heels for him. "Get better soon, Sensei, we need you," I whispered close to his ear. I saw his eyelid twitch, but I knew that he wouldn't be waking up for quite awhile.

Tazuna's daughter brought my food up to Kakashi-sensei's room. She also brought water, and showed me how to give water to someone who was passed out. Sasuke and Naruto joined me a few minutes later. Naruto looking  _sour._ I'd heard the screaming even from the second floor, so I assumed it was because Tazuna's grandson had yelled at him. 'Heroes never win' or something like that.

"We should spar tomorrow morning," I said, taking a bite of rice. "Kakashi-sensei would want us to keep practicing while he was out of commission."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, but I took it as an agreement.

"Hey, Hitomi, do you have anymore game ideas?" Naruto asked, slumped against the wall. "I'm bored."

I thought for a second. "Arm wrestle?" I suggested. Naruto laughed at me until he realized that I was serious. We squared up and he grabbed my hand, like he didn't want to hurt me. I was a  _little_ irritated. I grabbed his hand roughly and powered my arm with a burst of Chkara and won the wrestling match in under a second. I heard Sasuke scoff, and thought that might be the closest to a laugh any of us would ever hear.

"How did you  _do_ that?" Naruto asked, rubbing his wrist.

"I channeled Chakra into my arm to overpower you," I said simply.

He looked at me blankly. "What's chakra?" He asked.

* * *

Sasuke was a quick little shit. He kneed me in the side and managed to pin me to the ground. He stood up, his arrogant pride not unexpected. Then he surprised me. He reached his hand out to me and helped me off the ground, and sized me up. "You leave your left side open," he said simply. He showed me how to cover that side of my body and we went for another round. I lasted a full minute longer than normal, but he still beat me. He looked down at me and nodded in approval. Then proceeded to kick Naruto's ass while I took a water break.

Naruto and Sasuke both outclassed me when it came to pure physical strength, but Sasuke was further still ahead of Naruto. I wondered if he ever got bored with us. But... _no_ I could see it on his face while he fought with Naruto. A small spark of passion, excitement, an opponent that had potential. "Hey, I'm going to check on Kakashi-sensei before lunch!" I called to them when their match was finished. They both snapped their heads in my direction. "Please make sure to come in and eat soon."

"Aw, come on! One more! One more! I'll beat Sasuke for sure!" Naruto yelled from across the field.

"Not on an empty stomach you won't," I said, putting my hands on my hips. "A good ninja should always know their limits, Naruto." I scolded good-naturedly. He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, but followed me into the house anyways. Kakashi-sensei was right where I left him. He did look better. His skin had lost the sickly gray color that he'd had when we'd first brought him to our base. I checked his vital signs and smiled when everything checked out. "You better wake up soon," I said. "They boys are getting antsy. I'm not sure how much longer it'll be before they go looking for trouble."

Tazuna's daughter opened the door, a bowl of rice and fish in her hand. "Hitomi-chan, would you mind going to look for herbs after your finished with your lunch?" She asked. "I hate to ask you that, because your already spread so thin with your teacher out of commission."

"No, it's fine," I said with a wave of my hand. "It's just in the woods, right? So not a big deal."

"Thank you!" She said happily, giving me my food and the list of plants that I'd need to find. I ate quickly, and brought the bowl down to the kitchen, cleaning it off and putting it back in the cupboard. I grabbed my jacket before heading out, wrapped up in the warmth. It was a surprisingly chilly afternoon. I brought a little basket with me.

I found the first herbs about two miles from the house. I kneeled down, and started picking off the leaves, like the instruction said. I looked down at the paper I was given. She was making a powder for fevers. Interesting. I guess it made sense considering there weren't really doctors or medics on the impoverished islands. Another reason to hate Gato. He'd  _destroyed_ the entire country. How many people had starved to death because of his actions and disregard for human life. I didn't think I would feel any guilt when we finished him off.

"Hey kiddo," a friendly voice called out to me. I snapped my head up, alarmed that someone had managed to sneak up on me. He wore a light greyish-purple hoodie. His muted light blue hair went a few inches past his chin. He had two triangles painted under his eyes, that reminded me of Kiba. If Kiba looked like a giant asshole. He stood arrogantly with one hand on the hilt of his sword. "What are you going here all on your own?" He asked, walking closer, his smirk growing when he saw me tense up and stand. "You should be careful, you might run into some unsavory characters."

"The only unsavory person I see is you, mister," I said, lowering into a defensive tijutsu stance. "Go away, you're trespassing."

"What are you going to do, kiddo? Kill me?" He asked mockingly. He pulled out his sword and aimed it at me.

"Stay where you are," I demanded, taking a quick step back. He laughed and rushed me. He was  _quick._ He was right in front of me before I even registered that he was moving. He elbowed me in the nose and kicked my legs out from under me. I turned my head to the side and spit blood out onto the grass. He lifted his leg and kicked me in the face, knocking me out cold.

* * *

I had no idea when I came too. The asshole that had attacked me had me bound over his shoulder. My hands were tied behind my back and my ankles were tied together. "Hey boss, we caught one of those shinobi the bridge builder hired," a deep voice said, somewhere to my left.

" _I_ caught the shinobi," my captor said, his voice even and aggravated. "She was alone, picking herbs."

I heard someone scoff. "You caught a little girl, I'm sure you're  _so_ proud." That voice...somehow I knew it was Gato. "Let me get a look at her." A chair scrapped against the ground, and well-made shoes clicked against wood. My captor carelessly tossed me to the ground, face-first and I had to keep myself from moaning in pain, using all of my strength. The man stood over me and I cursed angrily when I heard his sharp intake of breath. "Oh... _oh_ I know who this child is," he said with amusement. "Men, the gods have blessed me." He reached down and grabbed the clan symbol on the back of my jacket, ripping it off. "Lock her up in one of the lower rooms. If she gets free, I swear I'll kill you both!"

"Yes boss!" The both said. One of them grabbed me by the bindings around my ankles and dragged me from the room. We went down a short flight of stairs and my face hit every single one. They opened a door and kicked me in the room, then slammed the door. I groggily opened my eyes and sighed, turning over onto my back.

" _Fuck,"_ I growled angrily. Kakashi-sensei was going to be pissed.

The room I found myself in was dark, with the only light coming from a barred window. It looked like they'd shoved me into a storage closet. There wasn't much, other than two chairs and a broken mop. Nothing I could free myself with. "I should sow something small and sharp into the lining on my shirt...next time," I said with a sigh. I slowly sat up, and groaned at the killer headache I was experiencing. "Any idea what to do now?"

 _'Play this to your advantage. You're behind enemy lines. Use that.'_ It responded instantly, sounding  _awfully_ pleased.

"You don't sound worried," I said bitterly.

' _Why would I be? Gato is weak. His body guards...Zabuza excluded..._ _won't pose a threat to me. If it comes to it, I'll step in, and make them_ regret  _taking you hostage.'_

"Why don't you just do that now?" I asked. No answer. I growled and kicked out with my bound feet.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke weren't sure what to tell Kakashi when he woke up the next morning. Hitomi hadn't come home that night, and they hadn't been able to find her when they searched the town. Kakashi-sensei still wasn't in any condition to go looking for her. He had tried to stand up when they told him she was missing, and had immediately fallen back down.

"She wouldn't have just left without saying anything," Sasuke said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Tsunami-san said that Hitomi went out gathering herbs for her yesterday morning. Naruto and I have been taking turns looking for her, one of us has remained with the  _Bridge Builder_  at all times," Sasuke sounded frank, but Kakashi caught the way he spat the old man's title like it was a dirty word. "I'm going back out as soon as Naruto gets back."

Kakashi sighed and ran his hand over his face. This was all a lot. "I...might know what happened," he said. "Hitomi-chan's family and Gato have a bitter rivalry. It's likely that she was alone in the woods and Gato's men took the opportunity. I doubt it was planned. But, if I'm correct, we know she's alive. Gato would want to sell her back to her cousin and brother for ransom."

Sasuke nodded once, looking far to serious for a twelve year old. "Should we begin trying to locate Gato?"

Kakashi closed his eyes and shook his head. "No...she's alive, that much we could be sure of. If Gato's men caught you or Naruto, you wouldn't be that lucky."

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest. "I thought you didn't abandon your comrades."

"We are not abandoning her, we're playing it smart." Kakashi looked out the window, and saw the Tazuna's grandson and his mother in the front of the house. "I suspect that Zabuza is still alive." He saw Sasuke's shoulders tense. "That hunter-nin was a fake, if he was who he said, he would have disposed of the body right there and then to prevent any secrets from getting out. But he took him away. I suspect that they were working together, and when the fake saw that we were gaining the upper hand on Zabuza, he struck. It is in everyone's best interest that we stick together until  _that_ threat has been dealt with. I get the feeling that both problems will be solved together. I just hope..."

Sasuke was quiet, unhappy, but he was  _always_ unhappy. "She was the one who tended to your bedside while you were out of commission. If it wasn't for Tsunami-san feeding her, and Naruto dragging her out to train with us she wouldn't have left you." He looked at Kakashi with accusatory eyes. "Don't you think you owe it to her, to not leave her behind either."

"Careful Sasuke," Kakashi snarked. "You almost sound like you care." Kakashi looked away from his student and swallowed. This was another of those impossible situations. So many what-ifs so many ways that everything could go wrong. What if Gato killed her, to damage Hitomi's clan? What if Gato somehow found out about the monster? What if the monster burst free and went on a rampage? What if Kakashi failed his student? She didn't deserve any of this, none of the kids did. This should have  _just_ been an easy mission. There and back in under two weeks. There weren't supposed to be S ranked ninja, and family feuds, and kidnappings. But Sasuke was right. "Naruto and you are to stay together at all times. When I've healed up a bit more, we'll all go looking for her together."

Sasuke nodded in approval. "What about the bridge builder?" He asked.

Kakashi thought quietly for a few minutes. "We'll have Naruto use his shadow clones and satiation them around him. Hopefully we find Hitomi quickly, and it won't be a problem."

"Hopefully," Sasuke agreed with a shrug. The two of them looked up when Naruto burst loudly through the door.

"I found blood!" He screamed, holding a patch of grass in his hands. "It was..." he looked down and saw that Kakashi was awake. He threw himself into a loud explanation of everything Kakashi already knew and when he finished, Kakashi held his hand out for the grass. "It was where we found her basket. Just a few feet away." Naruto clenched his hand into a fist. "That bastards...hurt Hitomi-chan."

"It's a good thing you found this," Kakashi said, putting it away in his weapons holster. "I can have my summons track her. We'll find her boys, and when we do, who knows what'll be waiting for us."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"Remember Naruto, expect the unexpected."

* * *

I wasn't quite sure  _how_ long I'd been their captive, but I knew that I spent most of it screaming. I was missing several fingernails, two of my molars, and several strips of skin on my left arm. These guys sure didn't fuck around. Gato wanted to know how my family had managed to get the contract for shipping fabric to Suna, or for that matter the city states bordering Tsuchi when they'd already made a deal with Gato. How had my family managed to  _swindle_ him. I-unfortunately for us all-hadn't the slightest idea.

They left me laying in my blood, propped up against the wall. I curled up into a ball, my knees pressed against my forehead. I just wanted to pain to stop. I  _wish_ that I had information to tell them again my family's shipping company. But I knew nothing, and they didn't believe me. At some point the door opened again, when it was dark outside. I couldn't help the whimper that left my throat.

Was it shameful for a ninja to cry, even if they were being tortured? Probably. I would be leaving  _that_ out of my mission report.

But instead of knives, or fists, delicate fingers touched my shoulder where I wasn't injured. I looked at the newcomer and met large brown eyes. They were so kind, but I couldn't place why I remembered them so clearly. The person gently dabbed at my face, where blood was pouring from my mouth after my captures had ripped my teeth out. The rag was warm and soft. "I could hear you all the way from upstairs," they said. My eyes widened and I pushed away from them, as much as the ropes and the wall allowed me too.

The voice was easy to place. The hunter-nin that had killed Zabuza. But...why would the hunter-nin be working for Gato? Unless, somehow Zabuza wasn't dead and they were working together. "You-"

"Yes, me," the hunter-nin interrupted. "Now hush, I'm not supposed to be here."


	10. Chapter 10

The hunter-nin told me that his name was Haku. He was quiet when I asked his questions about where I was. "Gato and my family hate each other, I'm sure you know that already," I said after he finished cleaning the blood off of my arm.

"Yes, I know," Haku said.

"Did you know that Gato only hires missing nin?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. I felt his fingers still from where he was trying to clean the area where my nails were ripped out. "I mean, I guess that isn't weird for a criminal to do, but do you know why?" I asked. Haku  said nothing. "So he doesn't have to pay you. Look, you don't have to believe me, but I bet my buttons that if you checked his books you wouldn't find a single pay stub for the shinobi. I bet he was hoping your team and mine would just kill each other off."

"Isn't that just  _so_ convenient for you?" Haku said, his lips twitching up slightly, as if he were scolding a misbehaving child.

"By all means, don't take  _my_ word for it," I snarked back, grinning at him. "How long have I been here, anyways?"

"Almost forty-eight hours," Haku responded casually. "You friends have been looking for you constantly, from what I've seen in the village. Popping up in all sorts of inconvenient places."

"So you know where we're haunting, huh?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"More or less. Your orange friend isn't very covert."

I snorted and bobbed my head. "Yeah...he's a sweetheart though."

"And don't you think that makes a terrible shinobi?" Haku asked, his brows creased together.

"Meh, who's to say what a 'good' ninja even is. Naruto is a special boy, he'll make anything work in his favor. He's loyal, trustworthy, and determined. And I think that makes him an _exceptional_ shinobi," I looked out the barred window. "Can I take a guess that your strange accomplice is still with us then?" I asked. Haku said nothing, so I assumed that  _yes,_ that freak was still alive. "Thanks for patching me up," I said when the silence stretched on.

"Of course," he said, a smile lightening his face a bit. "I would bring you food, but I don't think that it would be wise to eat when injuries in your mouth are so fresh. I will bring you water tomorrow morning." He stopped talking, and I saw his face freeze over for a second.

"Are they coming back soon?" I asked, trying to keep the fear off of my face. "Come on, just let me go. Just untie me."

"I cannot, I'm sorry," he said, gathering up his medical supplies. "We cannot risk you returning to your teammates and telling them our location."

I sighed and leaned away from him. We didn't say anything to each other, while he collected the rest of his stuff and left quickly. The door clicked shut, and I listened closely. My shoulders slumped when I heard the lock click, trapping me in the dark room. I wondered if Naruto and Sasuke would really be able to find me all on their own.  _I_ didn't have a clue where we were. We weren't inside the village. Instead we were somewhere in a deep, dark forest. I just needed to...wait. Eventually, they would make a mistake.

"Are you seriously not going to help me now?" I asked It, gritting my teeth in frustration. No answer. I smacked my head against the wall and cursed. I was alone in this. But hadn't I always been? 

* * *

They stopped asking me questions about the family business when it became clear that I didn't know anything. Instead they started asking me about  _Konoha_. How many children graduated in my year? How many gates were there in and out of the village? How was the Hokage's health? I bit almost all the way through my lip, keeping quite.  _Those_ were secrets that could really put the village in danger, especially considering I had no idea what village my original kidnapper hailed from. Gato and his village might have been working together for all I knew. Why were they asking me such specific questions?

"Answer!" One of the men demanded, kicking me in the stomach. I coughed, vomiting up bile. "I said  _answer!"_ He kicked me three more times before he was pulled away by one of the guards.

"Stop, you'll kill her," the other guard said.

My ribs must have broken and punctured a lung, because I felt like I was drowning, and I was coughing up blood. I was dying.  _Actually_ dying. I touched my chest with my bound hands and looked up at my captors helplessly. They gaped at me stupidly, looking between each other and me. I rolled onto my back and looked up at the ceiling. "Now or never," I gasped out.

 _'I guess you're right, just close your eyes, Little Moon,'_ It finally answered. And I obeyed.

* * *

The ruffians who guarded Gato's hidden compound all looked up at the same time, when they heard the screaming. Not that screaming was anything new to them, their new prisoner had been doing a  _lot_ of screaming the past few days. But these were the screams of grown men, not young girls. They all instantly grabbed their weapons and raced to where they heard the sounds.

The first man into building entered the halls and found nothing but pink mush all over the walls. He felt sweat beading on his head, and when he saw the broken girl walking towards him with her arms weighing her forward, he almost shit himself. She looked up, her face obscured by her hair, but a twisted smile was obvious from underneath, white teeth almost glowing, sharp and pointed. Ready to rip into human flesh. 

She straightened her head and kanji ran over her skin, almost turning her skin a pitch black. The words didn't just cover her body. They also passed through her eyes and teeth. They even pushed outwards from her feet, spreading around her in a circle. She took a shaky step forward, stretching her arm out and slowly pointing at her new attacker. Or victim.

"What are you?!" The man demanded, holding his sword out in front of him.

She blinked at his curiously. "Me?" She asked, placing a hand on her chest. "I am the beginning and the end. But more importantly, I'm  _your_ end." She grinned again, before launching herself at him so quickly that he couldn't trace her with his eyes. She swiped at him, with long black claws growing from her hands, and he died before he touched the ground.

It stood over the body and grunted in disgust. It knew that Its host wasn't going to be happy when she woke up, caked in blood. Stupid child. The guilt might just eat her alive, and that would be  _no_ fun at all. Oh well...better a sulking host than no host at all. It wondered if it should just go back to the house where the Host had been staying. Or should It wait? But then the others would know about It. And  _yes,_ the Copycat already knew, but there was no need for the other children to learn of Its existence. It was waiting for a more dramatic moment to reveal Itself to the boys.

It stalked through the halls, slaughtering the guards as it went, until it arrived at the door of the small human's office. It opened the door, and was fairly surprised to see that there was no one there. Guarding all those important papers. It looked through everything, scattering the documents carelessly around until It found something  _interesting._ Exactly what it had been looking for. Once upon a time, It would have killed to save the mercenaries hunting Its host, and now it seemed it would finally get that chance. 

"Oh," It said, eyes widening. It was just an unassuming letter. It smiled wickedly and laughed, the deep voice frighteningly natural coming from such a small girl.

It went to work fixing the life threatening injuries left on the Host by her captors. Honestly, they had no idea how to treat a valuable well of information. Did It really have to do everything? Were humans truly all so hopelessly helpless? Poor things, how they got through their day to day lives was beyond Its vast understanding. 

It had offered more help to the Host than It had her entire life. It respected that, greatly. Most of the Hosts hadn't stopped pestering It with inconsequential demands from the moment they could walk to the moment they died. And _yes_ , she'd been annoyed when It wouldn't help her, but that was usually the end of the conversation. And she'd always come back. 

It tapped Its fingers against the wooden desk, waiting for the Host to take back control of her body. But she wasn't...for whatever reason. _Another_ new experience with humans. Normally they would stanch back control the moment they got the chance. Maybe she was a lot more shaken than It had thought. "Come now, how are you going to save your friends from all the way down there?" It asked, gently probing her stomach with her fingers. "Zabuza will kill them, without you, wake up." 

The door slammed open, and It caught a sight that might have actually frightened It, if It truly was a little girl. Hatake was crouched like an animal, ready to strike at It, a kunai in one hand and the Sharingan blazing in his eye. A wolf, who had found his next meal. It felt her mouth twitching and a laugh bubbled up her throat. "Going to kill me Copy Cat?" It asked, tilting her head to the side.

"That depends," Hatake said stalking into the room. "What have you done with my student?"

"Well..." It touched her lips with her pointer finger. "She was dying. One of the guards kicked her a little too hard. Now, I'm not usually one to get involved in any meaningful way with my Host's affairs, but I have a soft spot for this one-if you ever tell her that, I'll deny it. So she let me take control and I busted her out of her bindings. Now I'm here." It showed Hatake the letter and smirked at him. "And here I have what you all might need to end this nonsense with Zabuza once and for all." It raised her eyebrow and leaned against the desk. 

"You work is done then," he growled. "Give her back control."

It frowned. "I've been trying, actually," It said. "I think...she's afraid." It shrugged. "She won't come back out." It jumped up and sat on the desk, tucking the letter into her weapon pouch for later use. "Come a little close, Hatake, I think you might be able to pull her out."

"How?" He didn't move.

"Duh," It snapped. "A trusted authority figure. You were the first one she ran too when her room was busted into." It moved her lips into a fake pout. "Because you're all a  _team."_ It shrugged again. "So just tell her to come back. Tell her she's safe. Whatever you need to, to get her back out here. Physical form is actually quite tiring to a being such as myself."

Hatake moved closer, slowly, still glaring, still ready to strike at a moment's notice. He reached out and laid his hands on the side of her head, a gloved hand brushing against her cheek. "You're safe now, Hitomi, wake up," he said, managing to make his voice sound less like he was about to murder her. "Take back your body, please."

It felt something looking around curiously, and knew it was Its host trying to see if it was  _really_ safe for her to come out. It gently nudged her forward, until their spirits switched. The words faded slowly from Hitomi's skin and she slumped into Kakashi's arms, unable to keep herself upright.

She looked up through hazy eyes at her teacher, her vision swirling into focus. "Kakashi-sensei?" She asked slowly, squinting, as if the sun were blinding her.

"It's me, Hitomi," he said, holding her tighter against his chest for a second, before he swept her up into his arms. She passed out when they passed through the door of Gato's office. 

* * *

"What happened?!" Naruto demanded, when Kakashi exited the forest hide out, carrying Hitomi, who looked frighteningly lifeless, and covered in fresh pink scars. "Sensei?!"

"She's alive," Kakashi said, switching her around so she was draped over his back. He wrapped her arms around his neck and supported her under her knees. "Let's get back to base. She's still injured."

The three shinobi all silently rushed as fast as they could back to the Bridge Builder's home. They said nothing to the family as they went up to their room and laid Hitomi on a bedroll, and dressed her wounds. They were all superficial, nothing life threatening. But she was still left with four large scars on her arms from where someone had stripped away flesh.

There were classes new Genin took about six months after they'd graduated, where they would learn both how to withstand torture and how to tend to a comrade who'd  _been_ tortured. Now these kids wouldn't even get that much help. Kakashi cursed the entire mission. He should have forced them all to pack up and head back to the village the second they were attacked by the demon brothers. No...he shouldn't have even let them out of the village. Their training wasn't finished. They hadn't even been ninja for two months. 

He didn't know medical ninjutsu. Only basic first-aid. But he did what he could for the wounds. To at least make them a little less painful. She'd have the scars forever, but there was really nothing else that Kakashi could do. The  _monster_ had at least assured him that she wasn't going to die.

The monster. When he'd seen that  _thing_ so clearly in control of her body, he had to fight himself to keep from killing it. Killing them _both._ He'd forced the boys to stay out in the halls when he realized that the smudges on the walls had once been people. It had smiled at him. It knew his name and talked to him like it had known him, his entire life. It made his skin crawl. But it hadn't even protested when Kakashi demanded it release her. When she woke up, and they were safely back in the village, he was going to explain to his foolish student how badly she'd  _fucked up._  Letting that thing take over. 

But for that moment, he decided to just let himself be glad that his student was alive, was  _safe,_ and that they would all be going home. He was tempted to pack up all their shit and hit the road right then and there, but he still had the village's reputation to think about. Quitting this far into the mission...unacceptable. 

He reached into his student's weapon pouch, where the monster had shoved several documents, written in Gato's hand. With his seal. Most damning, a letter to an underling, demanding he find new guards. The line ' _and when they're all weakened, we'll just kill them all and push them into the sea. No one need ever know'_ was especially interesting. Zabuza was alive, but there was no guarantee that he'd be willing to lay down his weapons just because of a letter. Not when there was a  _Sharingan_ user on their team. But if they  _could_ avoid a fight, then they would. And it would be coming at any moment now. 

 _'Fuck me,'_ Kakashi thought, pressing his lips tightly together, laying a cool cloth against Hitomi's brow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so I've been getting PM's on FF.Net about this fic that more or less tell me to kill myself and so I've decided that I'm only going to be posting on AO3 from now on. SO thank you guys for not being A**holes


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